Chess Olympiad 2026: FIDE to reimburse teams affected by accommodation issues
Some teams, including India were made to wait for hours and in some cases players shared rooms or paid from their own pockets after arriving for 2026 Chess Olympiad.
The Indian team for 2026 FIDE Chess Olympiad (Photo credit: Praggnanandhaa/Twitter)
The International Chess Federation (FIDE) on Wednesday promised to reimburse the teams which were forced to rent rooms on its own due to the accommodation chaos after their arrival in Samarkand, Uzbekistan for the Chess Olympiad.
Some teams, including India were made to wait for hours and in some cases players shared rooms or paid from their own pockets after arriving at Samarkand on Tuesday.
"FIDE notes with deep regret that, during the first day of the 2026 FIDE Chess Olympiad, shortcomings in the accommodation arrangements left some teams without proper accommodation, forcing them to rent rooms in the city at their own expense," FIDE said in a statement.
"Although accommodation matters fall within the remit of the local Organizing Committee, and FIDE has no authority in this regard, FIDE nevertheless considers it its duty to assist the federations affected by this situation.
"Accordingly, FIDE has found additional financial resources and officially confirms that all teams which had to secure their own rooms will be reimbursed for the cost of accommodation of the appropriate standard, for a period of up to three days," it added.
The world body further stated that all "teams that are forced to stay in official hotels that do not meet FIDE-approved standards during the Olympiad shall receive an additional compensatory payment."
FIDE apologised for the inconvenience caused to the teams.
"FIDE deeply regrets that these organizational problems occurred and apologizes to the affected federations and teams. While the shortcomings arose at the level of the Organizing Committee, FIDE's priority is to ensure that no federation suffers financial losses as a result," it said.
"Our fundamental objective remains clear: every participating federation must be treated fairly and provided with the conditions established for the Chess Olympiad."
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Bridge Desk. It is published from a syndicated feed.)
Stay connected with The Bridge on #socials.