Abu Dhabi to host Chess Olympiad 2028

The Abu Dhabi Sports Council and the International Chess Federation signed a contract for Abu Dhabi to host the 47th Chess Olympiad, which will be held in 2028.

Abu Dhabi won the electronic vote that took place last December, which resulted in them winning 96 votes compared to 60 votes for the city of Genoa in Italy.

According to the contract, Abu Dhabi will also host the 4th FIDE Olympiad for People of Determination and the 98th FIDE Congress.

The contract was signed by Aref Hamad Al Awani, Secretary-General of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, and Arkady Dvorkovich, President of the International Chess Federation, at the Abu Dhabi Cycling Club premises on Al Hudayriat Island in Abu Dhabi.

Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifa bin Shakhbout Al Nahyan, President of the Asian Chess Federation and President of the Al Ain Chess and Mind Games Club, appreciated the leadership's support to the sports sector and athletes. He noted that the upcoming Chess Olympiad will receive great interest from all parties and benefit from Abu Dhabi's experience hosting major international events.

He stated that the Olympiad will witness exciting competitions among all participants, expressing his confidence that the UAE national team will achieve advanced positions.

Al Awani praised the efforts of the Abu Dhabi and Al Ain Chess Clubs as well as those of the Asian and local chess federations in expanding the number of chess players and organising many tournaments throughout the year, indicating that Abu Dhabi is ready to host major international sporting events, due to its full-fledged infrastructure.

For his part, Dvorkovich said, "We are proud to return again to the UAE after the 1986 edition, which was held in Dubai. This country's development level is amazing, and everything is new and very comfortable. We are confident that Abu Dhabi will be an exceptional opportunity for us in the 2028 Olympics."

The two-week tournament is expected to attract 200 federations in the male category, 160 in the female category, and 80 in the People of Determination category. Each team will consist of four main players and a reserve player.

The signing ceremony was attended by several officials.

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