Soumya hits back at the organisers
Published: Thursday, Jan 12, 2012, 8:00 IST
By Ashish Phadnis | Place: Pune | Agency: DNA

Following a goof-up from the organisers of the World Women’s Team Chess Championship, WGM Soumya Swaminathan has decided to return her individual bronze medal along with the prize money to the All India Chess Federation (AICF).

In a mail on Monday, Soumya said, “I am deeply shocked to know that such an unprofessional attitude was adopted at such a prestigious tournament, where players play for their country and any medal is won by them is matter of great prestige for them and for the country.

“If the medal is not treated as a medal but just a prize then it’s not appreciated. Moreover, I was not even informed of the development by the organisers and instead, I had to hear about it from the media personnel. It caused me and my reputation grave hurt and such a treatment of players is definitely not in the spirit of the game.”

The chess player had received a setback last week when she learnt of her being stripped off her individual bronze medal won in the World Women’s Team Championship in Turkey. The medal was awarded to a Russian player.

The AICF vice-president Sekhar Chandra Sahu said the federation is still looking into the matter.

Source: http://www.dnaindia.com

Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Tags: ,