International chess body condemns Spanish attempt to ban Israel from competition
FIDE says organisers of the Spanish tournament did not consult it before reportedly telling Israeli players that they could not play under their country's flag
The International Chess Federation (FIDE) has condemned a Spanish chess tournament’s apparent demand that Israeli players not compete under their country’s flag, stating that it “had no prior knowledge of this decision”.
According to reports from Israeli media publications, the organisers of the Open Sestao Basque Country competition in Northern Spain next week contacted seven Israeli players due to take part, telling them that “for reasons beyond our control, the Israeli players will be playing under the FIDE flag.”
A widely-circulated e-mail purporting to be from the competition’s organisers adds that “this measure has been agreed upon by both the main arbiter and the Spanish Chess Federation…If you do not accept this rule, you will not be able to participate.”
Responding to the reports, this morning, a FIDE statement said:
“FIDE is aware of reports circulating on social media regarding an alleged decision at a tournament in Spain to prohibit Israeli players from participating under their national flag.
“FIDE had no prior knowledge of this decision, did not make any ruling on this, nor was it consulted by the organisers.
“FIDE strongly condemns any form of discrimination, including on the basis of nationality and flag. The same rules apply to Israel and its players as to all other member federations that are not under any form of sanctions.
“We have sent a formal request for detailed information to the tournament organisers and will take all necessary actions to ensure our rules and principles are respected at all events.”
Under current rules, players from Russia and Belarus are required to play under the FIDE flag rather than their own. Players who are refugees who have not had the opportunity to obtain a national FIDE identification in their country of permanent residence also have the option to apply to play under the FIDE flag.
Spain has become one of the most vocally critical countries in Europe of Israel’s war in Gaza, with the country’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, having repeatedly referred to the conflict as a “genocide”, while calling for the boycott of Israelis from international competitions. This week, one of the stages of the Vuelta a Espana, Spain’s premier cycling race, had to be cut short in the Basque country due to an invasion of the route by anti-Israel protestors, angry at the participation of riders from the Israel Premier Tech cycling team. Reports have circulated that several of other teams have requested that the Israel-linked withdraw, citing “security risks”.