Chess for the Summer Olympics

Surprise, surprise!

FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov met with the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) Mr. Prospero Pichay Jr. and the Head of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) Mr. Peping Cojuanco Jr. The Philippines signed the first ever, official letter of appeal to Mr. Jacques Rogge for the inclusion of chess in the programme of the Summer Olympic Games. Mr. Jacques Rogge is the Head of the International Olympic Committee which is responsible for the quadrennial global sports event.

Although the chess world has its own Olympiad, I bet inclusion of the game in the programme will usher in a new era for chess. No longer it will be sneered at as just a board game nor be construed as a non-sports entity.

Its a long shot I guess but with the Philippines being the first to request for chess to be in the Olympics, things look brighter.