Today's Edition
Kuumar Shyam (Abu Dhabi)
Abu Dhabi has been selected as the host city for the 47th Chess Olympiad in 2028, triumphing over Genoa, Italy, with a vote of 96 to 60 at a FIDE Council meeting held this week.
Along with the Olympiad, which is held every two years, the UAE capital will be hosting the subsidiary events, namely FIDE Chess Olympiad for People with Disabilities 2028, and the FIDE Congress 2028. The previously held Olympiad was the 44th staging in Chennai, India.
The bid was a joint effort by the Abu Dhabi Sports Council (ADSC) and the UAE Chess Federation. The proposed venue for these events is the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), the largest of its kind in the Middle East. It means the Olympiad will return to the UAE for a second time after 44 years, after having held it as early as 1986 in Dubai.
An official announcement by ADSC came on the sidelines of the 25th Asian Youth Chess Championships that is running through Friday in Al Ain for 11 days.
The announcement was made in the presence of Sheikh Sultan Bin Khalifa Bin Sultan Bin Shakhbout Al Nahyan, President of the Asian Chess Federation and President of the Al Ain Chess and Mind Games Club, His Excellency Aref Al Awani, General Secretary of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, His Excellency Tarim Matar Tarim, President of the UAE Chess Federation, and His Excellency Hussein Abdullah Al Khoury, President of the Abu Dhabi Chess and Mind Games Club, among others.
The 2028 Olympiads for countries will be held over two weeks, and is expected to witness the participation of 200 federations in the male category, 160 federations in the female, and 80 federations under People of Determination, with each team in these categories consisting of 5 players and a reserve player.
Abu Dhabi has been selected as the host city for the 47th #ChessOlympiad in 2028, triumphing over Genoa with a vote of 96 to 60 during the FIDE Council meeting on December 17th.
— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) December 18, 2023
The bid to secure the rights to host the FIDE Chess Olympiad 2028, FIDE Chess Olympiad for People… pic.twitter.com/QCuzziuQ4P
Before the vote, FIDE conducted visits to both Abu Dhabi and Genoa to inspect the proposed venues and facilities. Official meetings were held with local and government authorities in both cities and with potential organisers. In the UAE, all the forementioned officials had accompanied the world body representatives.
Last week, at the voting session, HE Al Awani addressed the FIDE member federations with the question, “Why should you choose Abu Dhabi?”, which was followed by a short film about the capital city, showcasing its most important tourist and modern landmarks as well as providing an overview of the most important sporting events they had previously organised and hosted.
He also spoke about what the city has to offer participants and what distinguishes it from others in terms of experience in dealing with large sporting events, particularly the location of the proposed Chess Olympiad and the hosting hotels.
The presentation of the Abu Dhabi file concluded with a speech delivered by Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifa Bin Shakhbout.
After the voting result, Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifa dedicated Abu Dhabi’s victory to His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and also thanked the Abu Dhabi Government, Abu Dhabi Sports Council, the UAE Chess Federation, the Abu Dhabi Chess and Mind Games Club, and the bid preparation team.
“Thanks also goes to our brothers from all our neighbouring Gulf and Arab countries who supported our candidacy… adding to our hopes of organising an exceptional edition that will benefit all the sports, economic and tourism sectors in the emirate.”
Al Awani added: “Once again, we are on a date with a major global tournament, gathering thousands of competitors here in the capital, on the land of peace, tolerance, love, coexistence and safety.”
