Published: 3 January 2020
Last updated: 4 March 2024
Alireza Firouzja, a top-rated chess player from Iran and the world's No. 2 ranked junior player, has won the silver medal at the World Rapid & Blitz Chess Championship in Moscow after competing under the flag of the International Chess Federation (FIDE).
Firouzja, 16, had decided not to play for his country in an apparent reaction to the Islamic republic’s ban on competing against Israeli players.
Iran does not recognise Israel, and Iranian sports teams have employed a policy of not competing against Israelis for the past several decades.
Firouzja, widely praised as a chess prodigy, is the second Iranian sports figure in recent months to try to renounce his citizenship over state pressure on Iranian athletes to forego matches with Israeli competitors.
In October, Iran was banned from international judo competitions indefinitely over the country's refusal to face Israeli competitors. The decision by the International Judo Federation (IJF) came after Iranian judoka Saeid Mollaei said he was pressured to drop out of bouts to avoid facing an Israeli opponent.
FULL STORY Iranian chess player who refused to play for his country wins silver medal at world championship (Radio Free Europe)
Photo: Alireza Firouzja (file photo)
