On Sunday, India and Russia were declared joint winners of the 2020 Online Chess Olympiad after the final was marred by internet connectivity issues.
Russia was initially declared the winner after two Indian players lost out on time in the final after suffering a disconnection with the server.
India lodged a protest against the controversial decision and requested a fair solution. Finally, the international chess federation FIDE’s president Arkady Dvorkovich decided that the gold medal should be awarded jointly to India and Russia.
This was the first time FIDE was holding the Olympiad in an online format owing to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Legendary Indian chess player Viswanathan Anand shared his excitement and tweeted, “We are the champions !! Congrats Russia!”
We are the champions !! Congrats Russia!
— Viswanathan Anand (@vishy64theking) August 30, 2020
“Congratulations to our chess players for winning the FIDE Online #ChessOlympiad. Their hard work and dedication are admirable. Their success will surely motivate other chess players. I would like to congratulate the Russian team as well,” Indian PM Narendra Modi wrote in a tweet.
Congratulations to our chess players for winning the FIDE Online #ChessOlympiad. Their hard work and dedication are admirable. Their success will surely motivate other chess players. I would like to congratulate the Russian team as well.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 30, 2020
