Between a rock and a hard place
With great difficulty, under pressure from circumstances—more out of necessity than of their own free will—the leadership of the International Draughts Federation, headquartered in Switzerland, admitted athletes from the Republic of Belarus to the World and European Championships. But with certain reservations. And this raises many personal questions about the ability of the leadership of this international organization, based in Zurich, to be so flexible that one can’t help but wonder about the difficult lives of invertebrates.
By the way. Although the decision was made with reservations and under pressure from various circumstances—including the IOC—brown PR specialists and fans of the Austrian artist have become increasingly active on various social media platforms. Take a look at these colorful characters—some of whom still serve as leaders of their proud little federations. A little later, we’ll present their statements and latest actions in a separate article. I have no desire to waste time on Russophobes at this point.
Dear FMJD member federations and draughts players,
Yesterday, the FMJD Board unanimously decided that starting
July 1, Belarusian draughts players—both youth and adultswill be allowed to participate in FMJD tournaments under a
neutral status (without a flag and anthem).
This decision is based on the International Olympic
Committee’s (IOC) position from May 7, 2026, which states that
Belarusian athletes should be allowed to compete again, as the
Belarusian Olympic Committee meets all IOC requirements.
This decision does not apply to Russian athletes.
Additionally, the FMJD Board decided that if any athlete or
delegation member publicly supports the war (whether in the
competition venue, in the media, on social media, or
elsewhere), the referee has the right to disqualify them
immediately.
Furthermore, the FMJD does not undertake the responsibility to
guarantee the participation of Belarusian athletes in countries
where obtaining a visa is difficult or impossible due to political
reasons.
Moving forward, visa restrictions related to FMJD events
cannot be taken into account when choosing future competition
venues. If there are no significant political changes, Belarusian
athletes will be able to compete on a regular basis (with their
flag and anthem) starting January 1, 2027.
The FMJD Board fully condemns the war in Ukraine and
Russian aggression.
At the same time, the FMJD Board considers it crucial to
remain part of the international sports movement, led by the
IOC.
This decision is fully aligned with international policy, which
aims to bring peace to the world and allow sports to contribute
to achieving it. The decision is also based on letters sent to the
Board by several federations, the majority of which align with
this course of action.
The FMJD Board believes that the purpose of this six-month
transition period is to ensure that the policy change is
sustainable.
With respect and on behalf of the Board,
Janek Mäggi
President of FMJD