The Chess Olympiad 2024 is going to take place in Budapest, Hungary from 10 to 23 September 2024. It is the world’s largest team event and will have a record breaking participation.
While everyone expects the opening ceremony, the live performance of the official song or their favorite teams performance, not everything is going smooth for the organizers and FIDE. Since the beginning of August, many federations and delegations have raised their voice about difficulties with accommodation, unexpected extra costs incurred, and visa problems. What started as a local problem for the organizers is turning into a serious issue for FIDE and the image of chess, as with less than two weeks remaining to the start of the Chess Olympiad problems are getting from bad to worse.
More about Chess Olympaid 2024 : Live blog / Participants open / Participants women / Team India / Team Japan / Team Paraguay / All news about Chess Olympiad 2024
Update: Turkey affected by accommodation problems at the Chess Olympiad in Budapest / Anish Giri roasts Sutovsky on lack of comments about accommodation
Update 2: Malcolm Pein on the accommodation problems of ECF at the Chess Olympiad 2024
Update 3: More federations in trouble at the Chess Olympiad 2024
Accommodation hassles at the Chess Olympiad 2024
Jean-Michel Rapaire, President of the Monaco Chess Federation, describes the accommodation problem in detail for Chessdom.com. In the initial invitation, dated April 18th and sent by the organizers of the Chess Olympiad to federations, page 15 reads, “All teams (6 persons) will get two free standard double rooms and two free standard single rooms with full board. The Chief of Delegation is provided with a standard single room with full board. The Open and Women sections (Teams) and Chief of Delegation from the same Federation will be accommodated in the same hotel” Yet, less than month before the start of the Olympiad, rules were changed. Jean-Michel Rapaire comments, “By email dated August 15 we learned that the chief of delegation is at our expense, and he is not in the same hotel.”
The first photo excerpt above is from the initial invitation letter received by the Monaco Chess Federation on April 18th. The second is the currently updated version and is available on the FIDE and Chess Olympiad websites with two important changes – the text that the delegations are staying in the same hotel is missing and each federation has to cover the costs of their Chief of Delegation.
That creates a double problem. On one hand, the teams communication is hindered by scattering the delegation through various hotels. On the other hand, changing the rules for the chief of delegation incurs extra cost to participating nations.
Monaco is not the only country that experiences this problem. Germany also reported that they are scattered through the city in multiple hotels. “Separated Delegation (players and head coaches hotel A, HoD hotel B (???), extra members hotel C. Why? Delegations shouldn’t be separated, that doesn’t make sense at all,” comments Kevin Högy, Director of Sports of the German Chess Federation. Kevin Högy inquired if the situation can be mended and with a four day delay he received the following communication from the organizers, “We can’t do anything, please book accommodation in 3 hotels. If you wanna stay together in one hotel, we can organize it, but you loose your free rooms.” Högy complained of preferential treatment on his Twitter/X account, “Some delegations get additional rooms. But no answer to how they decide who.” (More about preferential treatment in David Llada’s case)
A real mess – extra costs and lack of communication
By August the situation with accommodation at the Olympiad seems to have gotten out of hand for the organizers. FIDE not only remain silent, but (with a few exceptions) do not conduct proper communication with the participants.
Jean-Michel Rapaire says, “On April 20th we asked what the costs of the delegation will be. The response was received in the beginning of August.” Inside the response are 3 word documents, each stating that having room in the same hotel was impossible.
The solution: Monaco, Germany, and Scotland rented their own accommodation, outside the official hotels recommended and promoted by the organizers. Jean-Michel Rapaire has it clear, “We rented an apartment, much cheaper than the hotels offered“. Kevin Högy commented on his Twitter/X, “We chose a hotel for one of our teams ourselves, as the prices quoted by the organizers were higher than if we had booked it ourselves.” Andrew Burnett from Scotland resorted to the same solution, “Forced into separating our teams, we have decided to book apartments to solve the issue. Paying exorbitant official prices to be miles from each other wasn’t very attractive.“
Despite the relative geographical proximity and the professional staff working in the chess federations of Monaco, Germany, and Scotland, the difficulties regarding communication and unexpected extra costs incurred are a fact. A question arises – what is the situation with the record breaking number of federations coming from thousands of miles away, with less resources and experience at the international scene?
Sutovsky’s behavior turning into fiasco and problem for FIDE
FIDE Chief Executive Officer GM Emil Sutovsky is choosing to ignore the situation. His behavior is becoming notorious – answering questions about positive developments of chess and turning his back on problems. The examples are many, ranging from ignoring questions when he threatened Magnus Carlsen to the recent lack of transparency regarding the World Rapid and Blitz. This time the question of Andrew Burnett from the Scottish delegation to the Chess Olympiad was on the Sutovsky ignore list.
Among the qualities of a good CEO are proper relations and establishing and propagating culture. And culture propagates, turning into a problem for FIDE as a whole. Andrew Burnett concludes, “Organisation has been awful and FIDE was of very little help. Hope they do better with the chess element!”
Looming Visa issues for multiple countries
Accommodation issues have been a disaster for the Chess Olympiad 2024. Yet, another major problem is looming. Multiple countries are encountering visa issues. Unofficial reports talk about “tens of nations from Africa” and a couple nations from other continents.
While this is a recurring problem at Chess Olympiads, in each of these cases visa issues were avoided through fast communication and multiple documents exchanges. Having in mind the slow communication in all other sectors of the 45th Olympiad, FIDE may face a visa disaster if no swift action is taken.
And what about the FIDE Congress?
The FIDE Congress is the most important side event of the Chess Olympiad 2024. It is the official FIDE event combining the sessions of the General Assembly, FIDE Council, Zonal Council and FIDE Commissions. Jean-Michel Rapaire points out an issue, “For the delegates, the congress begins on September 17. Yet, delegates are taken care of from September 18th”
Developing story
This is a developing story. More information on the topic will be published on the main page of Chessdom.com and in the Chess Olympiad 2024 live blog
