Chess Olympiad 2022: India bids to host after Russia pullout

The Chess Olympiad 2022 has been pulled out of Russia due to the ongoing Ukraine conflict. Meanwhile, India is bidding to host the event.

As the world continues to condole Russia's prevailing attacks over Ukraine for the third consecutive day, the former keeps facing sanctions across the globe. In yet another sanction from the sporting perspective, Russia was stripped of its hosting right for the 2022 Chess Olympiad. The International Chess Federation (FIDE) decided the same on Friday evening, besides taking away the hosting rights of other chess tournaments.

The tournament was scheduled to be held between July 26-August 8 in Moscow. The other events to be stripped are Olympiad for People with Disabilities and the 93rd FIDE Congress. As FIDE decides on a new venue and alternative dates, a senior All India Chess Federation (AICF) official has confirmed that India is bidding for the event, reports IANS.

AICF secretary Bharat Singh Chauhan also confirmed the same, stating that the total budget to host the event will be around ₹75 crore. If India wins the hosting rights, it will be the second significant global chess tournament in the country since 2013. India had hosted the World Chess Championship 2013, where then defending champion Vishwanathan Anand of India had faced Magnus Carlsen of Norway. The Olympiad happens to be a two-week event played by 190 countries.