PM launches historic torch relay for 44th Chess Olympiad

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday launched the historic torch relay for the 44th Chess Olympiad at Indira Gandhi Stadium in New Delhi.

This year, for the very first time, International Chess Federation, FIDE, has instituted the Chess Olympiad Torch, a part of the Olympic tradition. India is the first country to have the Chess Olympiad Torch Relay.

FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich handed over the torch to Modi, who in turn handed it over to Grandmaster Vishwanathan Anand. This torch will be taken to 75 cities in a span of 40 days before the final culmination at Mahabalipuram near Chennai.

At every location, chess grandmasters of the state will receive the torch. The 44th Chess Olympiad will be held in Chennai from 28th July to 10th August 2022.

Speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister Modi said, Chess teaches everyone that only those people achieve real success who are far-sighted in their planning. He said, the ancestors of the country invented the games like Chaturanga and Chess for the analytical development of the brain.

He said, Chess has spread to many countries of the world from India and has become very popular today. Modi said, chess is being used in schools as a tool for education for young people. He said, in the last eight years, India has improved its performance in Chess. Prime Minister said, modern sports infrastructure is being built in different states and districts of the country. He said, New India’s youth is excelling in every sport and they are making records.

Referring to India’s recent successes in the Tokyo Olympics, Paralympics, Thomas Cup and boxing the Prime Minister said there is no dearth of talent in the country. Modi said, today, under the Khelo India’ campaign, the country is searching and shaping these talents. Sports talent is emerging from far-flung areas of the country under Khelo India.

He also pointed out that sports have been treated as other academic subjects under New Education Policy. He said that many new dimensions of sports like physio, and sports science are coming to the fore and many sports universities are being opened in the country.

The Prime Minister acknowledged the pressure of expectations on the player and advised them to give their hundred percent with zero percent tension or pressure. He appealed to players for making Yoga part of daily life and for enthusiastic participation in the upcoming International Yoga Day.

On the occasion, Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Anurag Thakur said, today is a special occasion for India. He said, the land where Chess originated is getting the opportunity for the first time to organize the Chess Olympiad.

Thakur said, more than two thousand player from 188 countries will participate in the Chess Olympiad. He said, no torch relay had happened in Chess Olympiad till now but International Chess Federation took the decision to do a torch relay for the first time from India. He said that from now, the torch relay for the Chess Olympiad will always start from India.

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