“I refused to play in the World Cup and I don’t regret it. Because, either you show up without a flag and without an anthem or you skip the competition and keep your dignity, “he assured.
Russian chess grandmaster Sergei Karyakin has refused to participate in the 2023 World Chess Cup, which will be held between July 29 and August 25 in Baku, Azerbaijan. As he explained this Saturday in a column for the sports newspaper Sport-Express, his decision obeys the requirements of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), which force him to compete under neutral status.
“I refused to play in the World Cup and I do not regret. Because, either you show up without a flag and without an anthem or you skip the competition and keep your dignity, “she wrote.
The athlete assures that it is a “very important” tournament for him and it is one of his “favorites”. However, he insists that he is willing to walk away from any event in which he cannot represent his country, and to his anthem if he wins. “This is especially important and relevant to me, since I am with my country with all my soul (…) So, until Russia recovers all its rights in sports, there is no point in talking about it,” he stressed.
Also, Kariakin expressed his wish that FIDE stop “Blindly following anti-Russian sentiments” and affirms that “it is time that everyone remembers the motto that sport is beyond politics.”
The grandmaster was invited to the World Cup as runner-up in 2021 and had to confirm his participation before June 2. This Thursday, in dialogue with RT, his representative, Kiril Zangalis, confirmed the teacher’s refusal.
On that same day, Kariakin himself had indicated on his Telegram channel that was “strongly” opposed to the requirements of FIDE, reiterating that he had already expressed it many times. At the same time, he asked his subscribers to give their opinion on the matter in a survey. As a result, 91% agreed with their idea of not participating without an anthem or flag. “The result is more than eloquent!” said the chess player.