Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine Matvyi Bidniy, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andriy Sybiga and President of the Chess Federation of Ukraine Oleksandr Kamyshin signed a letter to the International Chess Federation (FIDE) with a call to continue the elimination and not to restore the rights of the Russian and Belarusian chess federations.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Sports, Ukrainian officials expressed deep concern about FIDE’s plans to consider this issue at the General Assembly on September 21-22, 2024 in Budapest (Hungary). In particular, in the letter, they remind that Russia has been waging a hybrid war against Ukraine for more than ten years, and Belarus became an accomplice in the full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022.
“Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russia has killed more than 500 athletes and coaches, including 21 chess players. Two more chess players are considered missing,” the message reads.
The Ukrainian side also emphasizes that Russian and Belarusian sports organizations are an instrument of the state policy of these countries, and their admission would mean the legitimization of war.
