Banned Israeli chess players demand 'world' be stripped from Malaysian championship title

Malaysian authorities have barred Israeli chess players from representing their country at the upcoming World Amateur Chess Championship, organized by the International Chess Federation (FIDE).

Following discussions with tournament organizers in Malaysia, the official participant list was published without the names of two Israeli players who had registered for the championship, confirming their exclusion from the international competition.

One of the excluded players, Lior Aizenberg, director of the Chess4All organization, criticized the decision.

"Participating with an Israeli passport or even a foreign passport, which doesn't even require an entry visa to the country, makes no difference to them. The Malaysian authorities are simply unwilling to allow Israelis to represent Israel at a World Championship. As far as they are concerned, Israel does not exist. After 78 years of statehood, and especially following October 7, we as Israelis cannot allow such a situation to stand."

Aizenberg and representatives of the Israeli chess community have called for immediate international intervention, urging FIDE to take action against the Malaysian organizers.

“The championship in Malaysia should be canceled and moved to another country, or held in Israel,” the representatives said.

They also called for the tournament to lose its designation as a championship if Israeli players remain barred from competing.

“If the tournament proceeds in Malaysia despite the ban, the word "World" must be stripped from its official title. It cannot be considered a true World Championship if representatives from Israel are barred from participating.”

The Israeli representatives further demanded that international sporting standards be enforced, citing a previous case in which Malaysia lost the right to host a major sporting event over its refusal to admit Israeli athletes.

“With less than three weeks remaining until the event, it is unacceptable that governing bodies have not issued a clear ultimatum to the Malaysian hosts. A direct precedent exists: in 2019, Malaysia was stripped of its hosting rights for the World Para Swimming Championships after refusing to allow Israeli athletes to compete.”

FIDE had invited 'all eligible players' to participate

FIDE's official announcement on the World Amateur Chess Championship stated that "all FIDE member federations and all eligible players are invited to participate."

However, Malaysia's entry restrictions effectively prevent Israeli players from competing, despite the international federation's stated commitment to open participation.

Aizenberg, who has campaigned against boycotts of Israel in sports and culture in recent years, described his initial correspondence with the tournament organizers in an interview with Walla.

"I contacted the tournament organizer with an innocent question about participating, and immediately received a message saying he was sorry, but Israelis would not be able to play because of Malaysia's immigration policy. Right afterward, he deleted the message and added another saying they would get back to me. A place that does not accept Israelis or players from any other country should not be allowed to host a world championship."