A grandmaster from Odesa called on the chess federation to reconsider allowing Russian athletes to compete

Natalia Zhukova, an international grandmaster and a member of the Odesa City Council, called on the International Chess Federation FIDE to reconsider its decision to allow Russian chess players to compete as a team at this year's World Championships on the basis of neutrality.

As the grandmaster emphasized, the International Olympic Committee clearly prohibits the participation of teams of Russian and Belarusian athletes in international competitions, allowing only individual participation as neutral athletes under strict conditions (in particular, no support for war and no ties to military structures).

"FIDE's decision contradicts clause 3.1 of the IOC recommendations of March 28, 2023, which prohibits the participation of national teams of aggressor countries, and also ignores the principles of neutrality verification, as the Russian Federation systematically supports the war against Ukraine," the athlete emphasized.

On July 18, 2025, the FIDE - International Chess Federation made an unprecedented decision to allow the Russian women's national team to participate in the World Team Championships in Linares, Spain, to be held in November 2025, under the FIDE flag. FIDE stated that this is in line with the IOC's recommendations on "neutral athletes", provided there are no objections from the IOC.

In May 2025, the International Fencing Federation also allowed "neutral" Russians and Belarusians to compete in the team events of the 2025 European Championships under the auspices of the organization, despite the IOC's recommendations.

Currently, FIDE is headed by former Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich, who was re-elected president of the International Chess Federation in August 2022.

Meanwhile, a major tournament for children was held in Odesa on the occasion of the International Chess Day. The Odesa National Scientific Library brought together 58 young participants who competed in three rating groups. The tournament gave all the players vivid emotions, souvenirs and even more love for the game that develops thinking and endurance.

Кирило Бойко