--- title: "FIDE Bars Russian Teams from the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Samarkand" description: "The FIDE Board of Directors voted against admitting the Russian men's and women's national teams to the 2026 World Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, rejecting even the option of participation under a neutral flag." date: 2026-08-24T10:50:02.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/fide-bars-russian-teams-from-2026-chess-olympiad-samarkand tags: [chess, fide, olympiad-2026, russia, ukraine] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # FIDE Bars Russian Teams from the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Samarkand ![FIDE International Chess Federation logo with the motto Gens una sumus, related to the exclusion of Russian teams from the 2026 Samarkand Chess Olympiad](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/24/fide-ne-dopustila-sbornye-rossii-do-shahmatnoy-olimpiady-2026/fide-ne-dopustila-sbornye-rossii-do-shahmatnoy-olimpiady-2026-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - The FIDE Board of Directors rejected both options for admitting Russian teams: full admission and participation under a neutral flag. - The decision was made despite the pressure of Arkady Dvorkovich, referred to in the statement as the former FIDE President. - The 2026 Olympiad will be held in Samarkand (Uzbekistan) from September 16 to 27. The Board of Directors of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), following a vote, decided not to allow Russian teams to participate in the 2026 World Chess Olympiad. This was reported on Facebook by Vladimir Kovalchuk, Vice President of the Ukrainian Chess Federation, according to Sport RBC.UA. According to him, two options were put to the vote: full admission of the Russian men's and women's national teams, and their participation under a neutral flag. Both proposals were rejected. ### Voting Results and Kyiv's Position Vladimir Kovalchuk called the decision "yet another victory for the Ukrainian Chess Federation," emphasizing that it was made "despite the mad pressure of former FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich." In support, he cited the original message from the FIDE Vice President: "No Russian Teams." On the eve of the meeting, the Ukrainian Chess Federation sent an official letter to FIDE, reminding it of the sanctions in force and the illegal activities of the Russian Chess Federation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. ### Context: The Olympiad in Samarkand and the FIDE Elections The 2026 World Chess Olympiad will be held in the Uzbek city of Samarkand from September 16 to 27. The decision to bar Russian teams was made against the backdrop of internal processes within FIDE: it was previously reported that one of the candidates for the post of federation president had a billion-dollar business in Russia. According to Ukrainian chess officials, this context underscores the significance of the board's vote against admission. ### Reaction and Significance of the Decision Russian chess circles reacted to the decision with restraint. As one representative of the Russian chess community noted in a conversation with the media, "this time they won," acknowledging the fact of the non-admission. Thus, the Russian national teams β€” both men's and women's β€” will not be able to represent their country at the year's main team tournament, continuing the line of restrictions on Russian athletes at international competitions. ## πŸ” Fact-Check Verification - [Despite the Pressure: FIDE Bars Russian Teams from the 2026 Chess Olympiad](https://sport.rbc.ua/ukr/othersport/popri-tisk-fide-dopustila-zbirni-rosiyi-shahovoyi-1787568413.html) - Основной источник: заявлСниС ΠšΠΎΠ²Π°Π»ΡŒΡ‡ΡƒΠΊΠ°, Π΄Π΅Ρ‚Π°Π»ΠΈ голосования, письмо Π€Π¨Π£, Π΄Π°Ρ‚Ρ‹ ΠžΠ»ΠΈΠΌΠΏΠΈΠ°Π΄Ρ‹. - [FIDE Does Not Allow Russian Chess Players to Participate in the World Chess Olympiad](https://echofm.online/news/fide-ne-razreshila-rossijskim-shahmatistam-uchastvovat-vo-vsemirnoj-shahmatnoj-olimpiade) - Π‘ΠΎΠ²ΠΏΠ°Π΄Π°Π΅Ρ‚ ΠΏΠΎ ΠΊΠ»ΡŽΡ‡Π΅Π²ΠΎΠΌΡƒ Ρ„Π°ΠΊΡ‚Ρƒ нСдопуска. - ["This Time They Won." Tkachev on the Non-Admission of Russians to the 2026 Chess Olympiad](https://www.championat.com/other/news-6594408-v-etot-raz-oni-pobedili-tkachyov-o-nedopuske-rossijskih-shahmatistov-do-olimpiady-2026.html) - ΠŸΠΎΠ΄Ρ‚Π²Π΅Ρ€ΠΆΠ΄Π°Π΅Ρ‚ Ρ„Π°ΠΊΡ‚ ΠΈ Π΄Π°Ρ‘Ρ‚ Ρ€Π΅Π°ΠΊΡ†ΠΈΡŽ российской стороны. - [FIDE Suspends Russia from Participation in the 2026 Chess Olympiad](https://m.ridus.ru/fide-otstranila-rossiyu-ot-uchastiya-v-shahmatnoj-olimpiade-2026-913455.html) - НСзависимоС ΠΏΠΎΠ΄Ρ‚Π²Π΅Ρ€ΠΆΠ΄Π΅Π½ΠΈΠ΅ Ρ€Π΅ΡˆΠ΅Π½ΠΈΡ совСта Π΄ΠΈΡ€Π΅ΠΊΡ‚ΠΎΡ€ΠΎΠ². ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: Will Russia be allowed at the 2026 Chess Olympiad? **A:** No. The FIDE Board of Directors rejected both full admission and the option of participation under a neutral flag. ### Q: Where and when will the 2026 Olympiad be held? **A:** In Samarkand (Uzbekistan), from September 16 to 27, 2026. ### Q: Who reported the decision? **A:** Vladimir Kovalchuk, Vice President of the Ukrainian Chess Federation, on Facebook, citing a message from the FIDE Vice President.