Russia banned from third straight Chess Olympiad despite neutral flag plea
Russia has been barred from the upcoming 2026 Samarkand Chess Olympiad, marking the third consecutive Olympiad the nation will miss. FIDE's Council voted against Russia's participation, following the country's suspension from international sports since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This decision was made despite Russia's executive director, Alexander Tkachev, pleading for a chance to compete under a neutral flag.
The 2026 Chess Olympiad, set to take place in Samarkand, Uzbekistan from September 15 to 28, is one of the sport's premier team events. Smagin, vice president of the Russian Chess Federation, expressed disappointment, stating that any tournament without Russian participation is not complete. He also confidently predicted that Russia's return to international chess competitions is inevitable, though the timing remains uncertain.
Written by urgent.news from The Indian Express's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
