The World Chess Federation’s (FIDE) general assembly has voted to maintain a ban on Russian and Belarusian players, while supporting a move to consider lifting sanctions for disabled and junior competitors from the two countries.
FIDE banned Russia and Belarus from its team tournaments in March 2022 following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict, but allowed players from the two countries to compete as individuals under neutral status.
While voting to uphold the sanctions against Russia and Belarus on Sunday, FIDE’s general assembly passed a motion to consult with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) about easing restrictions for players with disabilities or children aged under 12, to potentially allow them to return to international events under the Russian flag.
Delegates from 66 countries backed the initiative proposed by the FIDE Council, an oversight body chaired by FIDE president and former Russian deputy prime minister Arkady Dvorkovich. The latter, however, refrained from chairing the assembly’s meeting on sanctions revision.
Forty-one delegates voted for the restrictions to remain in place, 21 countries favored lifting the ban completely, while 27 abstained or were absent.
“We believe this approach upholds FIDE’s commitment to inclusivity while respecting the international framework,” FIDE deputy president Viswanathan Anand told the assembly before the ballot, as quoted by Reuters.
Under pressure from the Ukrainian government, the US State Department and some Western players, including five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen, FIDE rejected a motion by Kyrgyzstan to fully reinstate the two countries.
Numerous countries in Asia and Africa, as well as some former Soviet republics, backed the removal of sanctions. The majority of Western nations – including the US, UK, and most of the EU – voted in favor of keeping pressure on Moscow.
Russia has argued that chess should remain free from politics, urging the international chess community to lift all sanctions.
Last week, the president of the Chess Federation of Russia, Andrey Filatov, noted that Ukrainian chess officials “at all levels of authority do not give up attempts to ‘punish’” Russia by attempting to alienate it in sport, culture, and other areas.
“No country participating in a military conflict in one way or another has been subject to any discriminatory measures by FIDE before, especially to exclusion from the FIDE family,” Filatov told TASS.
Earlier this month, FIDE canceled its decision to expel Russia from the organization for two years for organizing chess tournaments in former Ukrainian regions.
Commenting on the vote, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed that FIDE is also not free from the politicization of sport, alleging that Ukraine and the West use “undisguised pressure” on other countries that work within the framework of the organization.