Grand Master and Former Member of Iran’s National Chess Team: The Danger of Suspending Iran’s Chess Federation is Serious; FIDE Should Close the Door to Political Sport
Elshan Moradi Abdi, a former national chess player and grand master of Iranian chess, considers the danger of suspending Iran’s Chess Federation serious and says that if the international sports community recognizes Iranian athletes independent of their nationality, they can also freely compete with athletes from all countries.
Elshan Moradi, in an interview with the Persian service of Voice of America, regarding the possibility of suspending Iran’s Chess Federation in relation to the conduct of federation officials in response to threats from the international chess federation, said that because Iranian sports heavily depend on government-injected funds and the vast bureaucratic system in power unconsciously controls the flow of governing sports, sports managers, even if selected without the involvement of authorities and officials from the Ministry of Sports, have no choice but to accept the demands of the Ministry of Sports.
He further added that the Ministry of Sports also has no choice but to act based on the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic; therefore, softening and changing the behavior of federation officials and expecting it from FIDE seems ridiculous.
This Iranian grand master of chess emphasized: “I believe FIDE knows that ultimately it will suspend Iran’s Federation. So the danger of suspending the federation is serious.”
Mr. Moradi, regarding the claim of the head of Iran’s Chess Federation that “the federation and Iranian sports officials have no involvement in this matter [not competing against Israeli opponents],” said: “I don’t think any athlete, especially a professional player, would want to refrain from what brings the most joy to them, namely competing, for any reason. I think only two groups of people can do such a thing. One is those who receive rewards greater than victory, and the other is those who have rigid and sometimes harsh beliefs for whom [not competing against Israeli opponents] is more important than self-struggle itself.”
This former member of Iran’s national chess team, stating that “I do not deny the existence of such people in Iran,” emphasized: “Most people in Iran refrain from playing [against Israeli opponents] out of fear of being condemned within the country. There have been many examples in recent years that confirm this, from Alireza Firouzja’s flag change to Borna Derakhshani’s game against an Israeli opponent or Porhom Maghsoudlu and Amin Tabatabaei’s games against Israeli opponents (albeit unwittingly), proving that players are eager to play and this matters more to them than the nationality of their opponents.”
When asked whether when he was a member of Iran’s national team he had been forced to withdraw from competing against an Israeli opponent, he said: “In 2005, I did not play against an Israeli opponent in an international open competition in Germany; but this was due to fear of what could happen in Iran and not a choice from personal desire. I even notified the tournament organizers about this matter and apologized to them.”
Mr. Moradi described not playing against his Israeli opponent as “an unpleasant experience” and recalled that he even avoided interviews in Iran about this and did not want to think about such a matter. He also said that at that time, the officials organizing these competitions had no dealings with Iran’s federation.
This Iranian chess player said: “If the international sports community recognizes Iranian athletes independent of their nationality, then at that time athletes can also freely compete with athletes from all countries.”
He also noted that due to the widespread outbreak of coronavirus, the issue of suspending the chess federation has not received as much attention, adding that this matter may create a stir within Iran over the next year. According to him, the most important task at present is to create independence and working space for athletes so they can participate freely in competitions outside the heavy shadow of federations.
Mr. Elshan Moradi said: “I think due to the internet, access to resources, and people’s love of chess, the sport of chess, with or without a federation, will develop among different segments of society.”
This dual-national chess player further emphasized: “Of course, all these talents [in chess] will flee. I hope that FIDE, by closing the door to political sport, will also open a door for those who want chess without politics.”
In recent days, as the possibility of suspending Iran’s Chess Federation was raised, Nigel Short, vice president of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), in an interview with the Persian service of Voice of America, said about the details of this news: “We are an international body and we have our own regulations. Iran clearly and continuously violates them.”
Previously, a number of prominent national chess players from Iran, including Ghazal Hakimifar and Alireza Firouzja, due to pressures to avoid confrontation with Israeli athletes, preferred to compete under FIDE flag. Shahre Bayat, an international chess arbiter from Iran, and Mitra Hejazipour also did not return to Iran due to removing their hijab in international competitions.
Pressure on Iranian sports with political objectives has been applied by the authorities of the Islamic Republic for many years in both overt and covert ways. Among them is Khamenei himself, who, in a meeting with Iran’s medalist athletes, emphasizing that the Islamic Republic of Iran will not participate in sports competitions with Israeli representatives, described athletes who do not take the field against Israeli athletes, despite being champions, as “humble, pious, revolutionary, pioneering, and family-loving.”
This is while Arkady Dvorkovich, president of the International Chess Federation, had warned Iran’s federation that avoiding competition with Israeli athletes is a clear example of discrimination in sports, and if such conduct continues, he cannot prevent the suspension of Iran’s Chess Federation.
Source: Voice of America
