It was during a live online broadcast that Martynov was asked by another participant “what his ugly background was”. The Russian chose to answer “it’s not Mariupol”. This statement has caused many in the chess community to see red – I am embarrassed to be in Fide as a member of the chess federation, wrote Atle Grønn, chess and Russia expert, on his Twitter account together with a video of the incident. During Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Mariupol was attacked by Russian forces who bombarded and surrounded the city for several weeks. Most of Mariupol was destroyed and it is claimed that over 5,000 civilians were killed. SAW RED: Atle Grønn saw red at Martynov’s joke. Photo: Fredrik Hagen / NTB Apologizes The chess and Russia expert comes out strongly against Martynov’s actions. – It is indecent. But the main point is that this cannot be an accidental miss. If you joked about the Holocaust in 1945, people understood what kind of person you were dealing with. A Russian who today jokes about the bombing of Mariupol tells us most of what we need to know about the attitudes of this person, says Grønn to news. Martynov admits to news that his behavior is unacceptable. – I was a guest on a friend’s live broadcast. It was not a Fide channel, and I did not represent Fide when I was there, so I am the one who will answer this, Martynov writes to news. LIVE BROADCAST: It was during this live broadcast that Martynov crossed the line. Photo: SCREEN DUMP: @chess_news The legal director also writes that he regrets the inappropriate joke. – I can well understand that I gave the impression of taking this topic lightly, which is far from the case. I take a strong stand against this war, replies Martynov when he is confronted with the criticism from Grønn. – I am embarrassed that my bad joke has, understandably enough, hurt the feelings of many people, and I therefore want to apologize in the strongest possible terms. David Llada, press manager at Fide, says that the chess federation does not take Martynov’s joke lightly. – We openly spoke to him when this became known, even though he did not represent Fide when the incident occurred. He was of course already fully aware of how inappropriate it was. We at Fide know what he thinks about the subject, and his colleagues know how strongly he feels about the war, which makes the joke even more difficult to explain. PRESS MANAGER: David Llada of the International Chess Federation. Photo: CHRISTIAN KRAKENES / CHRISTIAN KRAKENES Criticism of Fide Grønn believes Martynov’s actions are only part of a larger problem. This summer, Russian Arkady Dvorkovich was re-elected as Fide president. He is a former Deputy Prime Minister of Russia. According to Grønn, there are no signs of improvement. – We last saw this Iranian judge, where Fide comes up with pathetic reactions, says Grønn. The episode the chess expert is referring to happened during the Fischer Chess World Cup in Iceland in October. There, the Iranian judge Shohreh Bayat posed with a T-shirt, with the inscription: “Women, life, freedom” – “kvinner, liv, fridom” The top judge has previously stated that she received a written message from the powerful president to change her outfit. The Iranian has subsequently felt pressured out of Fide. – They reveal their attitudes and have no moral backbone, says the chess and Russian expert. – I can’t see what Fide does for the Ukrainian players, but I see what Fide does for the Russians, he says. Fide believes they have done everything they can to take care of the Ukrainian chess players. Llada highlights several incidents, including Fide postponing the team WC for half a year last year, in order to facilitate the participation of the Ukrainian team. The Russian team was excluded from the world championship. During the Blitz and Rapid Chess World Cup in Christmas, there was a large absence of top Ukrainian players, while Russia dominated with its breadth. It is one of the things that makes Grønn react. – There are several things the confederation could do. They can protest and speak clearly. Several European chess federations are surprisingly silent, says Grønn.
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Russian chess top gets shut up after Mariupol joke – lay flat – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
