Evgeny Surov Is Still Not Accredited For The Coverage Of The Olympiad

Dear Arkady Vladimirovich and Dear Ilya Vladislavovich!

I would like to tell you about my outrageous experience as a Russian journalist at this time of the Olympiad in Istanbul. As one of the FIDE’s leaders, Mr. Ali Nihat Yazici, with sufferance of Mr. Makropoulos and Mr. Ilyumzhinov, are violating not only their slogan «We are one family» but also my rights as a journalist and human.

Vasily Papin met FIDE President

Kirsan Ilyumzhinov once again asked the chief of the Olympiad organizing committee Ali Nihat Yazici to settle the issue related to the Chess-News chief editor acreditation and let him in the playing hall. Ali Nihat Yazici promised to discuss this during the organizing committee meeting and report the FIDE President about the results. 

Dear Mr. Yazici,

The Russian Chess Federation is sincerely grateful to you for the organization of the world chess festival – Olympiad in Istanbul.

Taking into account the long-term friendly relationship between our countries and federations, we earnestly ask you to provide the Russian journalist Evgeny Surov with an opportunity to freely cover the World Chess Olympiad.

Dear Mr. President!

There was an opening day of the World Chess Olympiad in Istanbul few days ago. It is a great event not only for the participants, organizer and guests but also for millions chess amateur all over the world. Every Olympiad first and foremost is an occasion which unites people in spite of their religion and political views.

"I don’t think that boycotting the Olympiad is the right method for solving the problems", said the Head of the Management Board of the Russian Chess Federation Ilya Levitov in an interview to our site, "It’s necessary to achieve the right solution in a constructive way, rather than by boycotting the Olympiad. To write a letter and meet with Yazici; I don’t know - talk to him, understand his motivation and position, and try to change his position".

Text is from the official site of the Olympiad. 

We have received both appreciation and expressed concern regarding an individual who is not accredited as journalist or as a guest to the Olympiad venue.

I would say that current events in Istanbul should be printed on the first page. I’m talking about a well-known journalist Eugene Surov. He was forbidden to act as a journalist on Chess Olympiad. The only explanation was “we’re not allowed to let Mr. Surov in”.

All that has happened causes only bewilderment. Can we believe that such organization as FIDE still lives according to the law of the jungle (as in 90s)?