FIDE allows Russian, Belarusian youth chess players to compete under national flags
The International Chess Federation's (FIDE) General Assembly on Dec. 14 allowed teams from Russia and Belarus to participate in international tournaments and permitted youth chess players to compete under national symbols.
The move was based on a recent recommendation by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which said that Russian and Belarusian athletes and teams should be permitted to compete in youth events under their national flags and anthems.
This underscores a shift in the IOC's earlier position, as competitors from Russia and Belarus were allowed to compete in the Olympics only as "neutral athletes" after the outbreak of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Similarly, FIDE banned Russian and Belarusian chess players from competing under national symbols and suspended their national teams in the first months of the invasion.
FIDE's Dec. 14 decision, which will apply for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, also lifts restrictions on holding official FIDE events in Belarus.
The move was based on two resolutions, one filed by the Chess Federation of Russia — supported by 61 votes, 51 voting against, 14 abstentions, and 15 delegates not voting — and another by the FIDE Council — supported by 69 votes, 40 voting against, 15 abstentions, and 17 delegates not voting.
While Russia's resolution called for "the immediate restoration of national symbols" in all events, the FIDE Council's motion mandated the use of national symbols only in youth and junior competitions.
The Assembly decided to adopt the FIDE Council's version as the "baseline," with the use of national symbols in adult competitions to be further consulted with the IOC.
Prior to the Dec. 14 vote, Ukraine's Youth and Sports Ministry and the Ukrainian Chess Federation urged FIDE not to reinstate Russian and Belarusian teams and players.
Their statement emphasized that the circumstances leading to the restrictions "remain unchanged," and that the "leadership of the Russian Chess Federation and public figures associated with it openly support the policies of the Russian authorities and the war."
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, in turn, welcomed FIDE's latest decision, calling it "the right step towards the depoliticization of sports, especially in such a field as chess."
