2024-09-21 22:03:30
Chennai: The All India Chess Federation (AICF) has lodged a police complaint after the Chess Olympiad trophy which the team had won in the previous leg of the tournament went missing. Following this, the AICF had to arrange a replica of the trophy and apologise. It is a rolling trophy. The incident has come at a time when the Indian men’s team is close to winning the gold medal in the 45th edition of the ongoing Olympiad in Budapest.
AICF sources confirmed that the ‘Gaprindashvili Trophy’, given to the best performing team in the open and women’s division, has gone missing. India is the previous winner of this trophy which it won here in 2022. AICF Vice President Anil Kumar Raizada told PTI that the trophy has been missing for more than a month and it came to light when the International Chess Federation (FIDE) asked to bring the trophy to Budapest.
He said, ‘After receiving a request from FIDE to bring the trophy, we have been unable to trace it for more than 30 days. Then we have filed an official police complaint which will be investigated.’ A senior AICF official said on the condition of anonymity, ‘We tried to find it everywhere after FIDE’s request. But we have been unable to trace it till now. This is really a shameful situation and full responsibility is needed for these things.’
He said, ‘At present a replacement trophy has been ordered. It will not be as special as the original trophy. But it will still be like the original trophy. We apologize for this mistake.’ The current phase of the Olympiad began on September 10 and is scheduled to end on September 23.