Oman chess community was delighted to hear that theFIDE Presidential Board held in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, accepted the Oman Chess Committee (OCC) as its new member federation.
Oman recently applied for the membership in FIDE.
Speaking exclusively to Times Sport on Sunday, Laila Al Naggar, head of the OCC, confirmed the news and said the recognition by the FIDE comes at a time when the country is beginning to develop the sport.
“This is an important chapter for the country. The FIDE has approved our status. We had sent the application to them a month back and we are extremely happy that they have recognised us. This is big news for all the chess lovers in the country,” Laila said.
The OCC will have its office at the Oman Olympic Committee (OOC) building, from where all other sports associations function.
The immediate plan for the OCC is to host the National Chess Championship to select the national team that will represent Oman in future international tournaments. “We are currently working on the dates and venues to host this unique championship. This will be the flagship tournament of the OCC and it will be conducted every year. But our prime objective now is to select the national team,” Laila noted.
Good news for Kasparov. He will have their votes.