In the light of the current global outbreak of the coronavirus crisis and with the situation evolving on a daily basis ACP would like to express concern about the imminent organization of the Candidates Tournament in Yekaterinburg.
While we understand that at this stage it may not be possible to cancel the event outright we rest assured that FIDE takes all possible measures to minimize the risk in accordance with Russian and global health authorities. Still, in our opinion there is one major topic that has not been publicly addressed and that could impact both the players’ safety and psychology.
We are urging FIDE to publicly state that in case any member of the organization, the press, the players’ teams, the arbiters team, the volunteers or any other person which may be perceived as having contact with the tournament, be affected by CoViD-19, FIDE officials will immediately call the tournament off and make all efforts to ensure that the players are escorted safely back home.
It is our strong opinion that by doing so FIDE would fulfill its role as a responsible organization and show that it can act with wisdom and be a beacon in times of darkness. This will also increase the players’ confidence in the overall organization and the community’s respect for its management.
The ACP Board
