The Fédération Internationale des Acheux (FIDE) has chosen Tamil Nadu’s coastal city of Mamallapuram to organize the International Chess Olympiad for its 44th edition. This year it is for the first time that the International Chess Olympiad will be held in India.
Considering it to be a smaller city than Chennai, questions arose as to why the city was chosen to host the event. According to The Hindu, Mamallapuram’s well-connected transport network and the presence of several luxury hotels helped in choosing the coastal town as the venue.
Also known as Mahabalipuram, Mamallapuram is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located less than two hours from Chennai by road. It is also a popular tourist destination with several 5-star hotels that can cater to the over 2,000 participants who come there for the Chess Olympiad.
Read also: PM Modi to inaugurate 44th Chess Olympiad in Tamil Nadu: ‘…great association with chess’
Another reason for Mamallapuram was to give the participants some peace from the traffic. Also, it was chosen as the venue so that the public is not inconvenienced when politicians, dignitaries, VVIPs and international visitors come for the tournament, the daily was quoted as saying.
In addition, officials said the rush of visitors could be a problem for school going children and office goers on weekdays.
Meanwhile, FIDE was impressed by the beaches and resorts of Mamallapuram and in March approved it as an official site after a reiki.
The 44th Chess Olympiad will be held from July 28 to August 10.
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