Banned Israeli chess players demand 'world' be stripped from Malaysian championship title
“It cannot be considered a true World Championship if representatives from Israel are barred from participating," said representatives of the Israeli chess community.
Malaysian authorities have barred Israeli chess players from representing their nation at the upcoming World Amateur Chess Championship, according to <source 02877a61-dd1>. Following negotiations with tournament organizers in Malaysia, the official participant list was released without the names of two Israeli players who had registered, confirming their exclusion.
Lior Aizenberg, the director of the Chess4All organization, expressed disappointment with the decision, noting that Israeli participation is denied regardless of the passport used. The Malaysian authorities, seemingly unwilling to permit Israelis to compete, essentially deem Israel nonexistent. Aizenberg and other Israeli chess representatives have called for immediate international action against the Malaysian organizers, urging FIDE to take a stand.
They propose canceling the championship in Malaysia and relocating it, or even holding it in Israel, if Israeli players are excluded. They also demand that the tournament lose its official 'World' title if the ban persists, arguing that it cannot be deemed a genuine World Championship without Israeli representation. This situation echoes a previous incident in 2019 where Malaysia forfeited hosting rights for a major sporting event due to its refusal to admit Israeli athletes.
Although FIDE's announcement of the World Amateur Chess Championship stated an invitation to all eligible players, Malaysia's entry restrictions effectively prevent Israeli participation, despite FIDE's commitment to open participation.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
