Home Sports President Ali meets with national chess team ahead of Olympiad in Chennai...
The Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) made a courtesy call on President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali and Culture, Youth, and Sport Minister Charles Ramson Jr at State House on Friday.
The delegation was led by GCF President Frankie Farley and members of the Olympiad team scheduled to represent Guyana at the 44th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Chennai, India later this month. The team comprises five males and five females. Taffin Khan, Loris Nathoo, Anthony Drayton, Roberto Neto, and Ethan Lee will participate in the Open Tournament while Sasha Shariff, Pooja Lam, Jessica Callender, Anaya Lall and Nellisha Johnson will participate in the Women’s Category. Also in attendance were Company Secretary Marcia Lee, Executive Director Irshad Mohamed, Team Captain and Executive Director Davion Mars, Executive Director and FIDE Ethics and Disciplinary Commission Councillor Yolander Sammy and Deaf Association of Guyana President Sabine Macintosh.
The Head of State was pleased to see the young men and women in attendance and it was noted that this would be the youngest team to ever represent Guyana at the Olympiad and the only Guyanese team to ever include a deaf player, 12-year-old Anaya Lall. Anaya will now be representing Guyana for the second time, having competed last year in the online World Chess Championship for People with Disabilities.
Dr Ali pledged Government’s assistance and support for the team to compete in India and promised continued support in further advancing the sport for persons with special needs across Guyana as well as equipment to further expand the Federation’s reach across the country.
President Ali added that he was happy with the work the Federation has done in making the sport inclusive, but charged it to have chess become a sought-after pastime, accessible in every region across Guyana.
The 44th edition of the FIDE Olympiad will begin on Thursday, July 28 and end on Wednesday, August 10, 2022.
