Grandmaster and former member of Iran's national chess team: The risk of Iran's federation being suspended is serious; FIDE should close the door to political sports
Elshen Moradi Abdi, a former Iranian national player and chess grandmaster, considers the risk of the Iranian Chess Federation being suspended to be serious and says that if the international sports community recognizes Iranian athletes regardless of their nationality, they can also freely face athletes from all countries.
In an interview with the Persian service of the Voice of America, Elshen Moradi said about the possibility of suspending the Iranian Chess Federation in relation to the behavior of the federation's officials in response to the threat from the World Federation that because Iranian sports are heavily dependent on government money and the vast and long apparatus of the ruling bureaucracy unconsciously controls the governing sports movement, sports managers, even if they are elected without the intervention of officials 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 has no choice but to act based on the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic; therefore, the flexibility and change in the behavior of the federation officials and the expectation of FIDE to do so seem ridiculous.
The Iranian chess grandmaster emphasized: "I believe FIDE knows that it will eventually suspend the Iranian Federation. So the risk of suspending the federation is serious."
Regarding the claim of the head of the Iranian Chess Federation that “the Iranian Federation and sports officials have no involvement in this matter [not competing with an Israeli opponent],” Mr. Moradi said: “I don’t think any athlete, especially a professional player, would want to give up what they enjoy most, which is competing, for any reason. I think only two groups of people can do such a thing. One is people who receive more reward than victory, and the other is people who have a rigid and sometimes harsh belief that for these people [not competing with an Israeli opponent] is more important than the fight itself.”
The former member of the Iranian national chess team, stating that “I do not deny the existence of such people in Iran,” emphasized: “Most people in Iran refuse to play [with Israeli opponents] for fear of being condemned within the country. There have been many examples in the last few years where Alireza Firouzja’s flag change to Borna Derakhshani’s match with an Israeli opponent or Parham Maghsoudloo and Amin Tabatabaei’s match with an Israeli opponent (unknowingly, of course) confirms that the players are interested in the game and this is more important to them than the nationality of their opponents.”
Asked if he had been forced to withdraw from a match against an Israeli opponent while he was a member of the Iranian national team, he said: "I did not play against an Israeli opponent in an international open in Germany in 2005; but this was out of fear of what might happen in Iran, not a personal choice. I even informed the tournament organizers about this and apologized to them."
Mr. Moradi described not playing his Israeli opponent as “an unpleasant experience,” noting that he had even avoided being interviewed in Iran about it, not wanting to think about it. He also said that at the time, the tournament organizers had not contacted the Iranian federation.
The Iranian chess player said: "If the international sports community recognizes Iranian athletes regardless of their nationality, then athletes can freely face athletes from all countries."
He also pointed out that due to the widespread spread of the coronavirus, the issue of the suspension of the Chess Federation has not received much attention, adding that this issue may create a stir within Iran within the next year. According to him, the most important task at the moment is to create independence and a working environment for athletes so that they can freely participate in competitions outside the heavy shadow of the federations.
Mr. Elshen Moradi said: "I think because of the internet and access to resources and people's love for chess, the sport of chess, with or without a federation, will grow among all segments of society."
The dual-national chess player continued: "Of course, all this talent [in chess] will escape. I hope that by closing the door to political sports, FIDE will also open the door for those who want chess without politics."
In recent days, with the possibility of the suspension of the Iranian Chess Federation being raised, Nigel Short, Vice President of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), had said in an interview with the Persian service of the Voice of America about the details of this news: "We are an international organization and we have our own regulations. Iran is clearly and consistently violating them."
Previously, a number of prominent Iranian national chess players, including Ghazal Hakimifar and Alireza Firouzja, preferred to compete under the FIDE flag due to pressure to avoid facing Israeli athletes. Iranian international chess arbiter Shohreh Bayat and Mitra Hejazipour also did not return to Iran due to removing their hijab during international competitions.
Pressure on Iranian sports has been exerted for political purposes for many years by the authorities of the Islamic Republic, both openly and covertly. Among them was Khamenei, who, in a meeting with Iranian medal-winning athletes, emphasized that the Islamic Republic of Iran would not participate in sports competitions with Israeli representatives, describing athletes who do not compete against Israeli athletes, while still being champions, as "humble, religious, revolutionary, progressive, and family-friendly."
This is despite the fact that Arkady Dvorkovich, the president of the World Chess Federation, had warned the Iranian Federation that avoiding competition with Israeli athletes was a clear example of discrimination in sports, and if such behavior continued, he would not be able to prevent the suspension of the Iranian Chess Federation.
Source: Voice of America
