The Council of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) did not support the proposal of the Kyrgyz Chess Federation to completely lift restrictions on Russian and Belarusian chess players, but recommended the General Assembly of the organization to allow children under 12 and athletes with disabilities from the Russian Federation to participate in international team competitions.
The FIDE Congress was held in Budapest. The head of the Kyrgyz Chess Federation Babur Tolbaev previously proposed to fully reinstate Russian and Belarusian chess players.
«We recommend the General Assembly to consider the possibility of partially re-evaluating the sanctions and allowing vulnerable groups — children and people with disabilities — to participate in tournaments,» FIDE Vice President Viswanathan Anand said before the General Assembly vote on the issue of Russia.
As the Russian Chess Federation notes in its Telegram channel, «delegates from Ukraine, England, Norway and the United States are against this, while delegates from Pakistan, Armenia, Malaysia and a number of African countries are in favor of maintaining balance and the «FIDE family.»
FIDE banned Russians and Belarusians from participating in team competitions after February 24, 2022. In March of the same year, it allowed athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete in individual tournaments only in neutral status, the decision was extended several times.
