| Chess included as Trial
Sport in 2000 Olympic Games, Sydney In what
could be an exciting news for the aesthetic followers of the game, the ancient game of
Chess is all set to become an Olympic sport. The process of including Chess as an Olympic
discipline has begun in right earnest. It may be noted that the popular game of Tennis was
entered as a trial sport in the Seoul Olympics, 1988, and a decade and two later it has
become a full-fledged medal sport.
At the FIDE General Assembly in Doha from Oct. 1st to 8th,
1999, it was unanimously agreed to comply with the International Olympic Committee
guidelines for conducting dope tests for players participating in International Chess
tournaments. On August 17th, 1999, the FIDE President, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, received a
letter from the IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch, granting FIDE the recognition. The
IOC had decided to recognise FIDE (World Chess Federation) at its 109th session held in
Seoul on March 17th and 18th,1999.
In the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Chess would be
included as a trial sport for display, the FIDE Vice-President P. T Ummer Koya, who
attended the FIDE General Assembly in Doha, confirmed to the Press on 13-10-99. With World
No. 2 GM Viswanthan Anand, Asian Junior Champion and double GM Norm holder K. Sasikiran,
GMs Barua and Thipsay in our ranks, India should fancy its medal chances in Sydney. |
