(ATR) Political and social issues are overshadowing the competition at the King Salman World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships being held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this week.
The seven Israeli chess players who had hoped to take part were denied entry to Saudi Arabia. The World Chess Federation (FIDE) made no mention of Israel when it announced on Dec. 24, two days before the start of the championships, that chess players from Iran and Qatar would be granted visas to participate in the tournament.
A spokesperson for the Saudi Ambassador to the U.S., Fatimah S. Baeshen, released a statement on Twitter, blaming the snub of Israel on the fact that the two countries have no formal diplomatic relations. While Iran and Qatar currently have poor relations with the Riyadh government, there is still a history of diplomacy among them.
The Israel Chess Federation chairman Zvi Barkai, in a letter to the FIDE president on Tuesday, chastised the FIDE for not mentioning Israel in the press release trumpeting the inclusion of Iran and Qatar. Barkai says the Israel federation is considering taking legal action and is demanding compensation for the Israelis denied visas and the immediate cancellation of the contract to keep the event in Saudi Arabia for 2018 and 2019.
While not mentioning Israel specifically, FIDE Deputy President Georgios Makropoulos did address the future of the tournament in Riyadh during his speech at the opening ceremony on Tuesday.
"FIDE motto is 'We are one family' and we firmly believe in this. We would like to see the next event, here, as King Salman Peace & Friendship World Rapid & Blitz Chess Championships where everybody will be welcomed," Makropoulos said.
"I am certain that Saudi Arabia can send a strong message for peace and friendship around the world and we are here with my colleagues to help. We are ready to meet with you or your people in the next days, to see how to proceed with the next steps."
Two-time world champion Anna Mozychuk of Ukraine - as well as most of the eligible Americans - are boycotting the event, citing the lack of human and women’s rights in Saudi Arabia.
In a first for any sporting event in Saudi Arabia, organizers did agree to not require female players to wear a hijab or abaya head covering during the games or in the hotel.
Baseball/Softball Seeks Secure Olympic Footing
World Baseball Softball Confederation President Riccardo Fraccari says the federation will capitalize on its success from 2017 to bolster the sports position in the Olympic Movement.
"Baseball had the biggest International Federation sports event in 2017 - WBSC’s flagship world championship, the World Baseball Classic -- with an attendance of 1,086,720," Fraccari tells Around the Rings in exclusive comments.
"And further evidence that our sport is going global, 24 new countries in 2017 made their historic debuts in the WBSC Women’s Softball World Rankings."
While baseball and softball are returning to the Olympic program at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Games for the first time since Beijing 2008, the sports’ inclusion is not guaranteed moving forward. Fraccari hopes to change this and become a core Olympic sport once more.
"WBSC will continue to expand global efforts to maintain Olympic status through the ‘20s, with Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024 and LA 2028 – this is the top priority for our federation," he tells ATR.
Fraccari says the federation has its sights set on other multi-sport events as well.
"WBSC will also bid to have two events - Men’s Softball and Women’s Baseball - at the 2021 World Games in Birmingham, Alabama."
The World Games feature sports not already on the Olympic program, giving sports such as men’s softball and women’s baseball a platform to demonstrate their value to the global sports movement.
Vote now for your favorite sports city! The Sports City Poll closes Dec. 31. The poll ranks the top 50 cities most strongly associated with sport. Results January 2018.
Written by Kevin Nutley and Gerard Farek
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