It’s already happened. The Federation Internationale des Echecs (FIDE), the organization leading the push for chess to be included in the Olympics, has begun testing for substances banned at the Olympics in an effort to boost its credentials.
The issue is on the agenda at the U.S. Chess Federation’s annual meeting in Framingham, Mass. Delegates are debating motions to ban testing at U.S. events. Many say they are dumbfounded by the drug-testing proposals, but are willing to sacrifice to help make chess an Olympic sport.
George DeFeis, executive director of the U.S. Chess Federation, said “it’s competitive, it requires endurance. It’s a mind game that tests the stamina of each chess player. I think the Olympics will benefit from seeing how other sports that are not so physical, though mentally fierce, compete”.
FIDE says chess has Olympic-scale appeal, with 156 member federations and five million registered players. It has applied for consideration and has received official recognition from the IOC. But that’s only a first step.
IOC spokesperson Emmanuelle Moreau said there is no possibility of adding chess at the 2004 Athens Games, which has already reached its cap of 10,000 athletes. Chess wouldn’t work at the Winter Games – rules allow only sports played on ice or snow.
Moreau also said Olympic officials will not add sports unless others drop out, and chess backers note that at least a dozen other sports, including fin swimming, surfing, and billiards, want to become Olympic events.
The Olympic Charter includes guidelines to ensure that only widely popular sports are included, such as those requiring participation in 75 countries and at least four continents. But other than banning sports that use motors, the IOC has discretion to determine what constitutes a sport.
Moreau would not discuss the difference between a “mind” game like chess and athletic sports like wrestling.
