site.btaArbitration Court: Bulgarian Chess Federation 2022's FIDE Application Was Not Considered Properly

The Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne (Switzerland) has confirmed that the application of the Bulgarian Chess Federation 2022 (BFC 2022) for membership in the International Chess Federation (FIDE) was not considered under the necessary high standards for such a procedure in an international organization, said BFC 2022 Executive Director Bozhidar Pelov in a press release.

The arbitration decision also states that the failure to discuss the BFC 2022 candidacy by the FIDE General Assembly actually violated the right of the organization to appeal the rejection of the candidacy. In addition, it was recommended that FIDE ensure maximum transparency in such procedures for the application of new members in the future.

However, the Court of Arbitration for Sport will not consider the BFC 2022 complaint in substance for purely procedural reasons, namely that the FIDE decision does not mention the complainant organization. Thus, the BFC 2022 only has the option to raise the dispute before the Federal Court in Switzerland.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport's decision was based on a complaint by BFC 2022, a Bulgarian chess federation licensed by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, against the decision of FIDE to accept another organization as its member.

"The Bulgarian Chess Federation 2022 was the first to submit its application for membership in FIDE and was unlawfully excluded literally at the last moment from the agenda of the FIDE General Assembly, two days before the assembly itself. Only the candidacy of the Bulgarian Sports Chess Federation , which does not have a national license, was considered at the meeting, the BFC 2022 recalled.

"We are not only the national licensed chess federation, but we also have the majority of active chess clubs as members - a total of 68 with over 2,000 registered players. The entire chess community supports our efforts to develop Bulgarian chess. And in the end, we mainly have intrigues, attacks against us and procedural gripes, dictated by the unhealthy aspiration of a few people to rule Bulgarian chess. We are convinced that the law is on our side, and that the FIDE members will be informed of the conclusions made by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, according to which the right of the Bulgarian Chess Federation 2022 to apply has been violated", stated BFC President Veneta Petkova.

"Everyone on our team is united by our love for this beautiful game and our belief that its promotion will only bring benefits to society," added Petkova.