FIDE Executive Director Victor Bologan (centre) with QCA President Mohammed Al Mudahka and other officials during the visit.
Doha: The International Chess Federation (FIDE) praised Qatar’s sports facilities and venues, saying they enable the country to deliver a distinguished, exceptional edition of the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championships, to be hosted from December 25 to 31. FIDE also noted Doha’s success in staging many global events in recent years.
This came during a FIDE delegation’s inspection visit to the Qatar University Sports and Events Complex to review preparations for the World Championships. The visit was attended by FIDE Executive Director Victor Bologan, Qatar Chess Association (QCA) President Mohammed Al Mudahka, and FIDE Chief Operating Officer Anton Zhuravlev.
Bologan expressed confidence in Qatar’s ability to host the World Championships, citing the world-class facilities and high operational efficiency at Qatar University. He said these strengths will help Qatar deliver an outstanding edition of the event.
He affirmed that Qatar has strong recent experience hosting world championships, which earned its bid significant trust within FIDE, in addition to the success of the 2016 edition held in Doha.
Bologan added that the purpose of the visit was to assess Qatar’s readiness for the event and to discuss promotional and marketing plans for the championships.
QCA President Al Mudahka said the visit included several coordination meetings covering arrangements to host an exceptional chess event.
In remarks, Al Mudahka said talks are under way with FIDE to organize more than one event in the coming period as part of the championship’s promotion.
He added that the venues for the World Championship finals have already been set: the Qatar University Sports and Events Complex, along with dedicated training halls, the main broadcast media center, and the official tournament hotels.
He announced that the QCA is preparing domestic activities to promote Qatar’s hosting of the World Championships.
Al Mudahka noted that Qatar University’s modern sports facilities and top-level infrastructure, as well as the ease of movement between the competition venue, amenities, and accommodation, will greatly help deliver a high-quality event for all participating stars.
QCA Executive Director and Tournament Director Hamad Al-Tamimi said the organizing committee is close to completing all preparations, adding that ticket sales are being finalized and are expected to open in early November.
Al-Tamimi stressed that the World Championships will give young players the chance to watch elite stars and top-ranked competitors, encouraging the next generations to take up the sport, develop their skills, and aim for professional levels.
He added that cooperation between the QCA and FIDE has been ongoing for a long time; Qatar previously hosted the World Championships in 2016. He noted that the visit concluded with agreement on plans for side events and special promotional programs for the championship, which will be announced later.
Hammoud Al-Hajri, Head of Sports Facilities at Qatar University, said Qatar aims to deliver an exceptional edition of the World Rapid and Blitz. He noted that the FIDE delegation reviewed all tournament facilities and playing halls and expressed admiration for the venues.
The championship, with a total prize fund of €1m, is expected to attract around 350 male and female players from among the world’s top ranks. It is worth noting that the World Rapid Championship, held in Doha for the first time in 2016, was won by Ukrainian Vasyl Ivanchuk, with 120 grandmasters and 36 women grandmasters taking part.
