The Africa Chess Confederation (ACC) has sent a letter of complaint to the Uzbekistan Chess Federation, the organizers of the 46th World Chess Olympiad, and FIDE's election commission over visa and accommodation problems affecting African delegations.
According to the ACC, several African delegates submitted their documents in advance but have still not received visas, even as other members of the same delegations were granted visas and arrived without issue.
The confederation said some players waited several hours to check into their hotel, and in some cases multiple athletes were forced to share a single bed.
The ACC also cited a specific incident involving the Madagascar delegation, saying its players arrived at 4:30 a.m. but some were not given rooms until several hours later, with a few athletes left waiting in the hotel lobby until the following morning.
A separate incident involving Namibia's national team was also flagged. According to the confederation, two players were denied entry at the airport and sent back, leaving the five-member team with only three players.
Members of the Indian delegation raised similar complaints about accommodation, saying some players had to wait several hours to check in because the local chess committee had not booked rooms for them in advance.
Athletes subsequently took to social media to air their grievances, with one participant describing the situation as a "very bad first impression" of the Olympiad.
Alisher Sadullaev, vice president of the Chess Federation, said on social media that the issue had since been resolved.
"Rooms have been allocated to all members of the Indian national team, and we are confident the rest of the Olympiad will proceed on a positive note," Sadullaev wrote.
The 46th World Chess Olympiad is being held in Samarkand from September 15-28, with more than 400 teams taking part.
Stay up to date with all the latest news:
