Historic Chess Olympiad Torch Relay set to travel in to 75 Cities Across India

Chess Olympiad Torch Relay : Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the first-ever Chess Olympiad Torch Relay for the 44th edition of the event on Sunday at the Indira Gandhi International Stadium in New Delhi.

The inaugural edition of the Chess Olympiad Torch Relay will visit 75 cities across the country as the All India Chess Federation (AICF) revealed the route map on Friday.

The International Chess Federation (FIDE) introduced an Olympic-style Torch Relay tradition for its Olympiad from this year’s event and named India as the starting flame point for each edition, commemorating the popularity of chess in the country where the sport originated.

“I’m really excited to be part of this historic moment. I was always fascinated by the Olympic Torch Relay concept and now we also have one in chess. But the most amazing thing about it is, it will always start from India. And as an Indian, I feel really proud about this fact,” said the five-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand while addressing the media during a press conference at a city hotel in New Delhi.

AICF President Sanjay Kapoor and AICF Secretary and Olympiad Director Bharat Singh Chauhan were also present at the event along with Tech Mahindra’s Chief of Strategy Jagdish Mitra and Ms. Apoorva, principal Secy. Govt. of Tamil Nadu.

Starting from the national capital, the historic Olympiad Torch Relay will travel across the country before reaching its destination—Mahabalipuram on July 27. Leh, Srinagar, Jaipur, Surat, Mumbai, Bhopal, Patna, Kolkata, Gangatok, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Thrissur, Port Blair and Kanyakumari will be among the 75 cities.

“Chess Olympiad Torch Relay is a great medium to popularise the sport in India. We have ensured that it visits and covers every corner of the country, inspiring many individuals. It will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for everyone. I believe this will contribute immensely towards making India a global chess powerhouse,” said AICF Secretary and Olympiad Director Chauhan.

“This Olympiad Torch Relay will add a golden chapter in Indian sporting history and, starting from India every edition, it will motivate generations to take up this sport. On behalf of the federation, we thank Honourable Prime Minister Modi ji for accepting our invitation. Events of such stature take a lot of effort and we are fortunate to have received the support from everyone including the government and other stakeholders,” AICF President Kapoor added.

The 44th edition of the world’s biggest chess event will be held in Mahabalipuram near Chennai from July 28 to August 10.

In nearly 100 years of history of the Chess Olympiad, it’s the first time that India will be hosting this prestigious event. With 188 countries registered for the upcoming Olympiad, Indian sporting history is also set to witness a huge congregation of countries on Indian soil for the first time at an event. And celebrating this, AICF has unveiled a social media campaign ‘Namaste World’, welcoming the chess community from around the world for this event.

Jagdish Mitra, Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Growth, Tech Mahindra, said, “The origins of the game of chess can be traced back to India. At Tech Mahindra, we have proudly pledged to keep this legacy alive and are pleased to support the first-ever Torch Relay for the 44th Chess Olympiad. Our engagement with FIDE and AICF will help extend our expertise in leveraging digital technology to promote, revolutionize and drive fan engagement in the game. This is the beginning of a long-term engagement with the world of Chess, which we believe will be a game-changer for all involved in the game of chess from players, fans and administrators.”

AICF had earlier announced two Indian teams each in open and women’s section as the 44th Chess Olympiad has attracted 343 teams in both sections.