FIDE to hold Africa Seminar in Zambia
FIDE is holding a seminar from July 5th-10th which will serve as administrative training for federation management. Each federation is having their flights and lodging paid for the five-day seminar. The seminar will take place at the Taj Pamodzi Hotel, a five-star establishment.
There is an extensive agenda with the guest speakers including FIDE VP candidates Ali Nihat Yacizi and organizer Lewis Ncube, current FIDE VP. The agenda appears to be filled with useful activities and includes topics like: Chess-in-Schools, Federation-Government strategies, Federation Financing and Tournament Organization.
This seminar may provide federations with an opportune moment for delegates to raise questions about the FIDE agenda for Africa. The organizers should be well-equipped to address these questions.
Note: Each federation should send his/her application along with passport scans by 30th June 2010 to lewis.ncube@zamnet.zm, lewisncube@live.com, cfz@zamnet.zm or Chanda.Nsakanya@total.co.zm. Full details can be read in the invitation letter here.
Despite the deliberately misleading name “FIDE Africa Seminar” issued on official FIDE stationary, “FIDE”is not holding an Africa Seminar in Zambia. That would imply that the event in Lusaka is open to all African Federations, which it most certainly is not.
FIDE Vice President, Lewis Ncube, shamelessly admitted in a recent e-mail to the President of the Angolan Chess Federation, Dr. Aguinaldo Jaime, “The African Seminar I am hosting in Lusaka is on behalf of the Kirsan Ilyumzhinov ticket and is being funded by the FIDE President as part of our ticket’s campaign.
Attendance is by INVITATION”.
Kirsan Ilyumzhinov and his ticket are perfectly entitled to hold whatever event they want as part of their election campaign – assuming it is done with their own money. However they are NOT, under any circumstances, allowed to call it a “FIDE” seminar and lie about its true purpose. The American legal firm, White and Case, have already highlighted several instances of irregularities, deceptions and profound bias by the Kirsan regime in matters concerning the nominations for the FIDE Presidency. This latest brazen hijacking of the name of the international governing body, (ironically whose motto is “gens una sumus” – we are one family) for a purely party political event constitutes yet another serious abuse of office by the current administration.
The Karpov2010 campaign, by contrast, is fully open and honest about its intentions. We will host a grand Africa Conference in Luanda from September 3-5, to which many African Federations will be invited. I might add that the event will also be attended by Garry Kasparov.
Recent reports from private sources indicate 60 countries have shown support for Kirsan. My country, Kenya, is one of them. Of course the decision by the Kenyan federation to support Kirsan must have been made behind closed doors. On the gorund nobody has ever had a clue as to who the officials wanted to support, nor were players on the ground (which include registered federation members) ever asked for their opinion.
This is the problem. The players, the REAL people who are affected by any decisions, have no say in this thing.
So true Mehul.
I have no idea how my federation (South Africa) stands in this and I doubt if any player, who plays for the enjoyment and love of the game knows.
It would be shameful if they (the federation) do not listen to the will of the majority of the players. A quick unscientific random survey among some players recently in SA showed that the majority were in favour of Karpov.
Ditto here (though some players do prefer Kirsan, but majority are for Anatoly)…if it was upto the local players on the ground I suspect Africa would go Karpov. Unfortunately just like the way the gods have placed the middle-game before the end-game so have they placed the officials before the players.
Chess South Africa have announced their support for Kirsan. No reasons as to why, and no comment. Our president attended the the Zambian junket and returned without a comment.
As Johan did I asked a few top players here and the support for Karpov was overwhelming.
The actual vote has not taken place yet so one hopes the real chessplayers will rise up and reverse the SA officials’ decision.
I hope the Karpov team announce their strategy for Africa timeously.