Pakistan team did not play Israel at the Chess Olympiad in Samarkand — Jerusalem Post
Pakistan’s national chess team did not field players for its first-round match against the Israeli team at the 46th FIDE World Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The Israeli team received a 4–0 technical victory, the Jerusalem Post reports.
The match was not played on any board
The Pakistani team did not field chess players on any of the four boards in the tournament’s open section. In the official competition records, Pakistan and Israel were listed as opponents in the first round, but all four games remained unplayed.
Pakistan Chess Federation President Syed Zeeshan Naqvi told local media that the refusal to play was in line with the country’s official diplomatic position regarding Israel. According to him, the federation boycotted the game as a sign of solidarity with the Palestinian people.
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Pakistan will continue participating in the tournament
Naqvi also said that the federation has a consistent policy that does not allow it to take part in matches that contradict the Pakistani government’s position. At the same time, Pakistan’s national team will continue competing in other rounds of the biennial tournament, which will run until September 27.
Israel Chess Federation President Zvika Barkai told the publication that his organization cannot influence global political trends or diplomatic relations between Pakistan and Israel. He also said that two international chess tournaments, the Jerusalem International Open and the Jerusalem Masters, will take place in Jerusalem in November. FIDE had not responded to the Jerusalem Post’s request for comment by the time of publication.
