MOSCOW, March 7. /TASS/. Russia’s national chess team will be able to play in the tournaments of the Asian Chess Federation (ACF) under their national flag’s colors and to the tune of their state anthem, a senior Russian chess official told journalists on Tuesday.
"We have an International Olympic Committee [IOC] with its own recommendations and then we have international [sports] federations, which make decisions on their own regarding recommendations on restrictions," Alexander Tkachyov, an executive director of the Russian Chess Federation (RCF), said.
"For instance, in gymnastics [the federation] simply prohibits the participation [of Russian athletes]," he continued. "But there is nothing like this in the sport of chess largely owing to the fact that the World Chess Federation [FIDE] is led by a Russian [FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich]. However, FIDE should not be ignoring IOC’s recommendations."
"We will not be allowed to participate in FIDE-authorized tournaments under the national flag,"Tkachyov noted. "However, there is no such ban in the Asian Chess Federation. If the Asian championship is not a qualifier for the world championship, we will perform under the flag and with the anthem."
Last week, the General Assembly of the Asian Chess Federation (ACF) voted to grant membership to the Russian Chess Federation (RCF).
Tkachyov also said that the RCF’s membership in the ACF may contribute to holding chess tournaments in Russia in the future.
"Throughout the existence of the European Chess Union [in Russia] there has been only one European-level tournament held here," the Russian chess official stated. "We know how to hold them, we simply were not allowed to do it."
"There was not a single Russian representative on the board, but that is not the case now," Tkachyov noted. "I am sure it will be different in the ACF. It is possible that ACF-authorized tournaments will take place in Russia this year."
On March 16, 2022, FIDE barred athletes from Russia and Belarus from participating in international tournaments. The organization, however, allowed representatives of these countries to play individually under FIDE’s flag and logo.
On February 28, 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued recommendations to international sports federations to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from taking part in international tournaments referring to a special military operation in Ukraine.
Following the IOC recommendations in late February, the majority of global sports federations decided to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from all international sports tournaments.