Barua for inclusion of chess in Olympics

Archiman Bhaduri, TNN
Aug 11, 2012, 04.35PM IST

KOLKATA: Grandmaster Dibeyendu Barua is for inclusion of chess in the Olympics Games. “Talks are on for long on this issue,” Barua said, “but nothing constructive has come out till now.”

Barua felt chess should be given the honour of being an Olympic sport. “Chess is one of the most popular games in the world now. It is a household game in most countries,” he said.

However, the International Olympic Committee ( IOC) is still not convinced about the spectator-friendliness aspect of the game and is thus apprehensive about including it in the greatest show of Earth.

“We have Chess Olympiad which is a biennial event. I have played in the meet for a number of times, but still we are not given the honour of being an Olympian,” he said.

The GM felt every sportsperson dreams to be an Olympian and in spite of chess being so popular in the country it is sad that chess players are denied of that opportunity.

He also felt India stand a good chance to win a medal if chess is included in the Games. “We have the five-time World champion Visawanathan Anand in our ranks along with great players like K Sasikiran, P Harikrishna and Surya Sekhar Ganguly. I genuinely believe India can win some medals if chess is included in the Olympics,” he said.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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