Post
by Stewart Reuben » Tue Aug 07, 2018 12:30 pm
Mick Norris>Really? I've never heard anyone expressing that opinion about the Olympiad; I doubt I can remember a dozen people expressing any opinion though, so I doubt there's a popular view<
There was a period when the attitude was 'the more the merrier'. FIDE wanted to boast of the Olympiad being one of the largest sporting events in terms of number of federations. Thus Guernsey, Jersey, Wales, Scotland and England are members of FIDE. Were we to apply for membership now, there would just be the UK. FIDE have a rule, once in, any federation can remain. Thus Hong Kong is still a member.
Then there started to be difficulties with increasing costs, particularly so in 1994. A stop was put on new federations which weren't fully entitled (usually those without UN membership). Applications have been made by Greenland, the Isle of Man, Northern Ireland and a few other areas. Gibraltar have not actually applied, presumably because I told them it was hopeless. Were it not for the political problem with Spain, they could perhaps 'bribe' their way in.
I am with Mick, I doubt many English people have an adverse view of the participation of weaker federations, such as Bermuda, in the Olympiad.
The one time we tried to arrange the European Team Championship in Torquay in 1997, the problem was not the weaker federations; they pay their own way in this event. It was the cost of the accommodation for all the federations that defeated the project.
