On 9 August 2006, the Head of the Republic of Kalmykia, President of FIDE Kirsan Ilyumzhinov arrived on an official visit to the city of Ergun, Inner Mongolia, People’s Republic of China. The Head of Kalmykia took part in the opening ceremony of the friendly match Russia vs China. This match is being organised within the framework of the Year of Russia in China and celebrations of 800 years of Mongolian State.
The same day, there have been negotiations with the representatives of the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the authorities of Ergun.
The Head of the Republic of Kalmykia, the President of FIDE Kirsan Ilyumzhinov is continuing his official visit to the the People’s Republic of China. On August 11 Kirsan Ilyumzhinov had a meeting with the Minister of Sports, the Chairman of the National Olympic Committee of China Mr. Lu Peng in Beijing.
They discussed the issues of the development of chess in the People’s Republic of China and the realization of the FIDE Chess in Schools Programme. The FIDE President pointed to the outstanding achievements of the Chinese chess players in the international tournaments in the past years. In particular, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov underlined that this success would be a good example of the fact that the government could pay attention to the development of chess in this country.
A special point of the negotiations was the question of the World Mind Games 2008 hosted by China, during which a big international chess tournament can be held. Besides, they discussed the problem of including chess into the program of the Olympic Games 2008 in Beijing, where chess can be presented as an exhibition sport. Mr. Lu Peng approved the idea of including chess into the Olympic programme and organizing the World Mind Games. He noted that he would consult with the Government of China and International Olympic Committee. The meeting was held in a warm and friendly atmosphere.
Good for China!