TN govt signs pact with AICF for Chess olympiad; constitutes panels

CHENNAI: The State government on Saturday made its move for the 44th Chess Olympiad at Mamallapuram by inking a pact with the All India Chess Federtion (AICF) and constituting 18 working committees of IAS and IPS officers for organising the global sports event.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Tamil Nadu government and AICF was signed in the presence of Chief Minister M K Stalin for hosting the event from July 28 to August 10. State Sports Minister Siva V Meyyanathan, Chief Secretary V Irai Anbu, principal secretary Apoorva, SDAT Member-Secretary R Anandakumar, special officer for the Olympiad Darez Ahamed, AICF president Sanjay Kapoor, AICF secretary Bharat Singh Chauhan were among those present during the event.

Chief Secretary V Iraianbu issued an order on May 13 for constituting 18 working committees to organise the big-ticket sports event, which would see Chess greats like reigning world champion Magnus Carlsen attend the event. Executive director of Sipcot, Nishant Krishna has been drafted to assist the officer on special duty for the 44th International Chess Olympiad, in all aspects.

The government had already designated Anand Kumar and Darez Ahamed as special officers for the event and it has roped in state DGP Sylendra Babu to oversee security arrangements for the olympiad, which was originally scheduled to be held in Russia, but moved out after following the latter’s attack on Ukraine in February last. It was subsequently allotted to Chennai.

Rs 5 crore allocated for WTA womens’ tournament

The 44th Chess Olympiad might not be the only big ticket sports event to be hosted in the State capital this year. Chennai would also host the WTA women’s tournament this year, marking the return of Tennis to Nungamakkam after a long gap. WTA tournament for women would be organized from September 26 to October 2, 2022 at Nungambakkam. On Saturday, an order was issued by Chief Minister M K Stalin to Vijay Amirtharaj of the State tennis association for hosting the event. Elaborating on the event, State Sports Minister Siva V Meyyanathan said that the chief minister was making all efforts to organize the event and Rs 5 crore has been allocated for various works, including renovation of the Tennis Stadium in Nungambakkam. Asked about the event, Meyyanathan told reporters at the state Secretariat that the government has just signed an agreement in this regard. “We will hold further discussions and decide how many teams will participate. CM has already made a statement under Rule 110 in the State Assembly regarding the chess olympiad. Today, we held talks in connection with the WTA tournament. Initially, we have allocated Rs 5 crore.” On future major sports events, he said that the government has planned to organize a beach volleyball tournament by the end of the year and it would be spread across the State.