Israeli chess players say they were barred from world championship in Malaysia

Two Israeli chess players claim they were barred from the World Amateur Chess Championships in Malaysia, which denies entry to Israeli citizens, despite a FIDE pledge to assist with participation. Player Lior Aizenberg said he was excluded from the November competition even after registering with a foreign passport, calling it a "disgrace" that FIDE allowed Malaysia to host. The Israel Chess Federation noted FIDE had promised maximum effort for visas, while Malaysia, lacking diplomatic ties with Israel, has also deported dual citizens holding Israeli passports. Aizenberg highlighted a 2019 precedent where the International Paralympic Committee barred Malaysia from hosting due to its ban on Israeli athletes.

Two Israeli chess players say they were barred from next month's World Amateur Chess Championships in Malaysia, which bars entry to Israeli citizens, despite a pledge from the sport's governing body FIDE to facilitate their participation. Player Lior Aizenberg said he was omitted from the November 4-13 competition in Klang, Malaysia, even though he signed up with a foreign passport. "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," said Aizenberg, a pro-Israel activist who runs the Chess4All club in Petah Tikva. Aizenberg called it a "disgrace" that FIDE had let Malaysia host the competition and said the "world" should be removed from the tournament's name. He noted that the International Paralympic Committee in 2019 barred Malaysia from hosting a Paralympic swimming championship because of the country's ban on Israeli athletes. According to the Israel Chess Federation, FIDE had announced it would make the maximum effort to help get visas for Israeli players. FIDE's own official invitation said registration was open "to all national chess federations." In 2019, FIDE issued a statement rejecting nationality-based discrimination, saying events "may be hosted only by Federations where free access is generally assured to representatives of all Federations." Malaysia, which does not have diplomatic relations with Israel, has also begun deporting dual citizens who hold Israeli passports.