MOSCOW (Reuters) – The Kremlin said on Monday that a decision by the general assembly of FIDE, the governing body of chess, to uphold a ban on Russian and Belarusian players was the result of Western and Ukrainian pressure.
FIDE’s general assembly on Sunday upheld the ban which was imposed after Russia sent its army into Ukraine in February 2022. Belarus allowed Russian forces to use its territory to enter Ukraine.
When asked about the ban being rolled over, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “The West and Ukraine are putting open and undisguised pressure on countries within FIDE. This is no secret, everyone knows about it.
“Unfortunately, FIDE is also not free from the politicization of sport and the world of chess in particular,” said Peskov.
The Ukrainian government, the U.S. State Department, and players including former world champion Magnus Carlsen, and members of the Ukraine Olympic team had urged chess federations to reject an initial motion by Russian ally Kyrgyzstan to fully reinstate the two nations.
FIDE did agree to consider raising restrictions on Russian and Belarusian junior and disabled players however.
Peskov thanked Kyrgyzstan for raising the motion, and said the Russian chess federation would continue to work towards getting the ban lifted.
(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Felix Light; Editing by Andrew Osborn)
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