ISLAMABAD : Pakistan has boycotted its match against Israel at the 46th FIDE World Chess Olympiad 2026. According to Syed Zeeshan Naqvi, President of the Chess Federation of Pakistan, teams from 203 countries are competing in the event held in Uzbekistan.
Pakistan was scheduled to face Israel in the pool round on Wednesday; however, the country decided not to participate in the match, refusing to compete against Israel.
Naqvi stated that Pakistan maintains a clear policy regarding Israel and cannot play a match against them in violation of government policy; furthermore, the decision to withdraw from the contest was made to express solidarity with the Palestinian people.
Here it is worth mentioning that how naive the organizers are at this Olympiad that they did not know the sensitivity of Pakistan and Israel. Had they know it, they would have never fixed a match between these two teams.
Pakistan does not recognize Israel as a state. The founder of Pakistan called Israel a illegitimate state. Pakistan’s passport is the only passport in the whole world that prohibits the holder from traveling to Israel.
Uzbekistan is close friend and brother country of Pakistan. The organizer’s mismanagement created an awkward situation for the host country.
A large number of national teams from across the globe are participating in the World Chess Olympiad taking place in Samarkand.
