Pakistan forfeited a match against Israel at the 46th FIDE World Chess Olympiad due to government policy and solidarity with Palestinians.
Reader brief
Through the Reader lens: Pakistan forfeited its opening round match against Israel at the 46th FIDE World Chess Olympiad in Uzbekistan by not fielding players. Officials from the Chess Federation of Pakistan stated that the decision was based on the Pakistani government's policy of not recognizing Israel and was intended to show solidarity with the Palestinian people. The federation emphasized that the boycott was directed at the state policy rather than the individual Israeli players or the spirit of sportsmanship. Despite this, Pakistan confirmed it will continue to compete in other matches throughout the tournament.
What to watch next
- Future matches involving Pakistan and countries with conflicting state policies.
- Any potential disciplinary actions from FIDE regarding the walkover.
What was said2
Attributed, verbatim. Every quote is checked against the article it came from. One that does not match is not shown.
Gauhar Iqbal
1 quote“It was very obvious that when we do not recognize a state,how can we play or how can we get engaged with that state? It's a state policy, and we have to follow the state as we are here to represent Pakistan, and we have to follow the policies of Pakistan”
In the article
…with Palestinians. Pakistan cites state policy Gauhar Iqbal, Secretary General of the Pakistan Chess Federation, explained that the decision was based on Pakistan's official position and not on the players involved. " It was very obvious that when we do not recognize a state,how can we play or how can we get engaged with that state? It's a state policy, and we have to follow the state as we are here to represent Pakistan, and we have to follow the policies of Pakistan ," Gauhar Iqbal, Secretary General of Pakistan Chess Federation, told ChessBase India, explaining why Pakistan chose against taking on Israel in Round 1 of the Chess Olympiad 2026 "So we are here. It is nothing against…
Syed Zeeshan Naqvi
1 quote“We have boycotted the match to express solidarity with the Palestinian people”
In the article
…the state's policy, and we have followed that." Pakistan to continue international participation CFP President Syed Zeeshan Naqvi also said the boycott was intended to express support for the Palestinian people. " We have boycotted the match to express solidarity with the Palestinian people ," Naqvi said. Naqvi said Pakistan would continue to participate in international sporting events while following the government's official position on Israel. The Pakistan-Israel match was part of the opening round of…
Sources1
- [1]The Times of Indianeutral'Nothing against sportsman spirit': Pakistan explain decision to boycott Israel