Madiba shirts and green-gold kit win awards for South Africa at Chess Olympiad

South Africa shone brightly at the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, clinching two prestigious awards for their unique national team uniforms. The women's team earned the Sport Women award for their vibrant green and gold outfits, embodying the country's sporting spirit. Meanwhile, the open team was honored with the Original Open award for their distinctive Madiba shirts, adorned with a chessboard pattern, a gift from Cape Town clothing company Presidential.

This marked the only instance where South Africa won two uniform awards, a testament to their exceptional cultural and sporting representation. The awards, presented by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) during the closing ceremony on September 27, were distributed across three categories: Classical, Sport, and Original. Across 200 participating countries, the South African women's team secured the 96th position, while the open team placed 82nd.

Notably, debutants Charlton Mnyasta and Sizakele Masango achieved the FIDE Master (FM) and Woman FIDE Master (WFM) titles, respectively. The uniforms paid homage to South Africa's rich heritage and sporting identity, with the team wearing official sporting colors and incorporating traditional Uzbek doʻppi skullcaps during their visit to host Uzbekistan.

South Africa expressed gratitude to SASCOC and Presidential for the exceptional clothing provided, celebrating both their on and off-chessboard achievements. Chess South Africa's vice-president, Shaun Levitan, led the delegation.