Banning Israeli 7-year-old, Tunisia may lose right to host world chess tournaments
Tunisia may lose the right to host world chess championships after refusing to grant a visa to Israel’s 7-year-old chess champion for the 2019 World Schools Chess Championship.
A young Israeli chess player takes part in a special chess tournament in Jerusalem marking Israel’s 70th anniversary, April 30, 2018. Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90.
Tunisia has no diplomatic ties with Israel and will not make an exception to authorize a little Israeli girl, Liel Levitan—the European School Individual Chess champion in her age group—to enter the country for the upcoming World Chess Federation (FIDE) tournament.
If Levitan does not attend the tournament, she and the other Israeli contestants will be disqualified from the tournament.
The FIDE is reportedly attempting to put pressure on Tunisia to allow entry of the Israeli participants.
FIDE secretary Poline Tsedenova told the JPost that the organisation has requested “an urgent explanation from the Tunisian Chess Federation” and demanded guarantees that the 2019 World Schools Championship would include Israelis—or else Tunisia would not be hosting the event.
The FIDE code of ethics states that the organization “attaches the greatest importance to fair play and good sportsmanship.”
Keep to your ethical, and most reasonable, stance on the issue, FIDE. As to requesting an explanation from the Tunisian Chess Federation, no doubt they can spell ‘antisemitism’.
I’m with you Liel, and hope to hear you emerge the winner. Whatever the result, you will do your country proud.
Wish the girl well in he chess but Israel in the recent past stopped Palestinians leaving Palestine via Israel to participate in international sport – soccer I think from memory