Islamabad
Two Pakistani players Dr Masood Khattak and Salman Nezhamani would be participating as guests in the Olympiad Games scheduled to be held at Moscow, Russia in August next year.
“We are proud for our athletes who have made it to the Olympiad as this is an honor for the country,” said Amin Malik, vice-president of the Chess Federation of Pakistan (CFP).
He said that “Khattak belongs to Rawalpindi while Salman hails from Hyderabad. Both players participated in an Online Corona Checkmate Program organized by International Chess Federation (FIDE),” he said.
He said the program which ran from the second week of May to June 17, was attended by millions of chess players from around the world.
“During the programme, FIDE selected a total of 64 players from around the world through balloting. Among them, names of Masood and Salman were also picked,” he said.
He said these athletes would participate in the Olympiad Games to be held in Moscow in August 2021 as guests. “They will stay in Moscow for 14 days and all costs (accommodation, food and air tickets) will be borne by FIDE,” he said.
“The Olympiad was originally to be played from August 5 to 17 this year, but was postponed due to the worldwide outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The games will now be played in Moscow, Russia in August next year and will be the biggest chess festival,” he said and added FIDE President has also praised CFP’s efforts for the development of chess in Pakistan.—APP
