FIDE Supported the Return of the Belarusian National Team to Chess Tournaments
The General Assembly of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) on Sunday voted for two resolutions that provide for the admission of Belarusian and Russian national teams to international competitions.
Both resolutions provide for the lifting of all restrictions, including on the use of national symbols, for junior teams from Belarus and Russia. A few days earlier, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended lifting restrictions for junior and Paralympic teams from Russia and Belarus, noting that the final decision rests with the sports federations.
FIDE also decided to return the national teams of Russia and Belarus to team competitions among adults.
The project of the Russian Chess Federation stipulated that adult teams would also compete under national flags, while the FIDE council's project envisioned performances with neutral symbols.
As a result, delegates supported both projects (61 delegations voted for the Russian project, 51 against; 69 delegations for the FIDE project with 40 votes against), which created a legal conflict. FIDE's press service stated that they would contact the IOC for consultation regarding the possibility of using Russian national symbols in adult competitions.
FIDE also lifted restrictions on holding tournaments under the organization's auspices in Belarus.
Restrictions were introduced in March 2022 due to the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russian chess players continued to participate in competitions in a neutral status (under the FIDE flag), but could not participate in team tournaments. In November this year, however, FIDE allowed the Russian women's national team to participate in the World Team Championship under the FIDE flag, despite protests from Ukraine and several European federations.
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