The inclusion of chess in the Olympic Winter Games will expand the number of participating countries, according to the president of FIDE Kirsan Ilyumzhinov."We were supported by almost all countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. There were only 77 countries participating in the Winter Olympics in Sochi, which means that two thirds of them were not present. However, they all wish to join the Olympics. For example, Angola, Trinidad and Tobago, Costa Rica, Nigeria, Kenya, and others can participate in the Winter Games thru chess," said the head of FIDE.
"We ask the IOC to amend the Winter Olympics provision on participating, where it is said that only those sports, which are practised on snow or ice, are considered as winter sports. We want to add the intellectual games. That is what we discussed with Thomas Bach. We do not need stadiums, ski jumps, ice rinks, etc., because playing chess is not pricey. All that is needed is to put the chess tables in the lobby of the hotel where the athletes live. It would blitz speed chess, when the party lasts for 25 minutes», summed up Ilyumzhinov.
