African and Indian chess players faced visa and accommodation problems before the Olympiad in Samarkand
African and Indian chess players faced visa and accommodation difficulties on the eve of the Olympiad in Samarkand
According to the ACC, a number of African delegates have still not received their visas, despite having submitted their documents in advance. At the same time, other participants of the same delegations have received their visas and arrived in Uzbekistan.
It is noted that some chess players had to wait several hours to check into their hotels, and in some cases, several athletes had to share a single bed.
The Confederation also reported on the situation regarding the Madagascar delegation. According to them, the chess players arrived at 04:30, but some of them only received their rooms several hours later. Some athletes were left stranded in the hotel lobby until the following morning.
The ACC also specifically highlighted the situation involving the Namibia national team. According to the Confederation, two chess players were denied entry to Uzbekistan right at the airport and were sent back. As a result, the five-member team was left with only three players.
Representatives of India also complained about the accommodation issue. Some chess players had to wait several hours to check into their hotel because the local chess committee had not booked rooms for them.
Following this, the athletes wrote about the problem on social media. One of the participants called the situation a "very bad first impression" of the Olympiad.
Alisher Sadullaev, the First Deputy Chairman of the Chess Federation of Uzbekistan, announced on his social media page that the problem had been resolved.
"Rooms have been allocated to all members of the Indian national team, and we believe that the rest of the Olympiad will proceed in a positive spirit," Sadullaev wrote.
For reference, the 46th World Chess Olympiad will be held in Samarkand from September 15 to 28. More than 400 teams will participate in the tournament.