A scandal continues to erupt in the world of chess. The Armenian athlete Maria Gevorgyan involuntarily turned out to be in its center. Currently, she is awaiting a response from representatives of the Azerbaijani national team, who have sent a petition to the organizers of the Sivas Bucuriye Open international tournament in Turkey to prevent her from participating in the competition.
“I saw the list of the Azerbaijani team only after the tournament began. I did not speak with anyone from this team, and no one came to me. Now I am waiting for the national team that has advanced the ultimatum to officially explain its position. So far there have been no papers from them. It is interesting what they will say, ”cites the words of the Sport24 chess player.
On August 7, an international FIDE master received an invitation from the organizers of Sivas Bucuriye Open. They promised her to pay for the flight and accommodation. It should be noted that before that, Gevorgyan did not intend to take part in the competition because of the tight schedule. Nevertheless, having familiarized herself with the conditions, the athlete decided to go to Turkey.
However, the very next day, Mustafa Eroglu, one of the organizers of the tournament, contacted Gevorgyan. According to him, the Azerbaijani team of 15 people issued an ultimatum: either the Armenian athlete will not be allowed to compete, or the team in full force will refuse to participate. In this regard, the organizers withdrew their invitation.
The actions of the organizing committee and the Azerbaijani side outraged Gevorgyan. She immediately spoke about what happened on her Facebook page, attaching a screenshot of her correspondence with Eroglu as evidence to her post. The chess player admitted that she did not expect such a move, as she always believed that sport was outside politics.
“When I was offered to take part in the Sivas Bucuriye Open, I took it as a great honor to represent Armenia. In all countries where I used to play, I always respected my rivals, regardless of their ethnicity or political views. This flagrant discrimination against me, a citizen of Armenia, has led me into real despair, because I feel betrayed by my favorite sport. The fact that political bias and hatred on a national basis still exist today is extremely disappointing. It is necessary to attract wide attention to such an alarming problem, ”the athlete wrote.
Later, Gevorgyan admitted that she did not even consider the option of arriving in Turkey at her own expense. Instead, she filed a complaint with the International Chess Federation (FIDE). It is reported that the organization demanded that Sivas Bucuriye Open provide the text of the petition of the national team of Azerbaijan, but at the moment this has not happened.
When the details of the situation were revealed, another problem arose. Sivas Bucuriye Open organizers threatened Mary with a lawsuit for publishing personal correspondence. However, at the moment it is not known whether they will really take this step.
“I have no answer to this question. I have professional relations with Azerbaijani chess players. We played a lot together, hugging after the tours. My friends have good friends from this country. And there have never been any problems, ”the chess player emphasized.
Gevorgyan was supported not only by the fans, but also by Mkhitar Hayrapetyan - the chairman of the standing committee of the Armenian parliament on science, education, culture, the diaspora, youth and sports, as well as representatives of the local chess federation. Together they intend to find out the reasons for what happened, and also to ensure that this does not happen again in the future.
“In fact, the Azerbaijani side exerted pressure, guided by racist rhetoric. I appeal to FIDE with a request to study the situation and provide an answer. Condemning statements will not be able to restore participation in the tournament of our chess player, which has been negatively affected in terms of moral and psychological state, but can help to avoid further manifestations of racism, ”the text of the letter of Hayrapetyan Voskanapat Info cites.
The conflict between the two states arose due to a dispute over the status of the Nagorno-Karabakh region. The confrontation has led to a number of armed conflicts.
The difficult political situation could not but affect all spheres of life in both countries. One of the last cases of its influence on sports is the refusal of the London Arsenal midfielder Heinrich Mkhitaryan to participate in the final match of the UEFA Europa League, which was held in Baku. Despite the fact that both international and local football authorities guaranteed the player safety, he never flew to Azerbaijan, arguing his decision with political considerations.