India withdrew from World cadet chess championship because of Israel Hamas war impact on sports. Israel-Hamas War: Israel-Hamas war had an impact on sports, India withdrew from this big tournament
World Cadet Chess Championship: The ongoing bloody conflict between Israel and Hamas is also affecting sports. The Indian team has withdrawn its name from the World Cadet Chess Championship starting in Sharm-el-Sheikh from Saturday in view of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas (Israel-Hamas War). There is fear that this may put the safety of players and officials at risk.
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39 players were to visit
39 players from the country were to participate in the tournament, the venue of which is less than 400 km from the Israel border. There will be competitions in Under-12, Under-10 and Under-8 categories in the tournament. The All India Chess Federation (AICF) has requested the world body FIDE to postpone the tournament in view of the tense situation in Gaza. AICF said in a statement, ‘After due deliberations, keeping in mind the ongoing situation in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas and the age of the participants, it was decided not to send the Indian team from the World Cadet Chess Championship-2023. ‘
The distance is 400 km
According to AICF sources, about 80 people were to go to Sharm-el-Sheikh for the tournament, which included players, coaches and people accompanying the players. The statement said, ‘The All India Chess Federation took this decision considering all aspects of the safety of young players because Egypt shares its border with Gaza as well as Israel. The championship host city of Sharm-el-Sheikh is less than 400 kilometers from the Israeli border and in the event of conflict, commercial airlines in the Middle East could be disrupted in a very short time.
Uncertainty about flights too
According to the statement, ‘The federation took this difficult decision based on force majeure and unexpected scenarios as the safety of the players is given paramount importance, even though our players have trained for almost a year for this competition.’ The official also said that the safety of children had to be kept in mind and there are uncertainties regarding the flight due to the situation in Gaza. (Input from PTI)
