The Prime Minister's Office has responded to that petition and you can viewWe the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Require all Government Departments to give Mind Sports such as Chess and Go equivalent status with physical sports."
Details of Petition:
"The mind sports, such as Chess and Go deserve equal status with the physical sports, which would provide easier access to funding. Mind sports bring great benefits in terms of personal development, social interaction and improved attitiudes to learning, and are accessible to all members of society. This petition seeks to improve their status by requiring all Government departments to treat mental and physical sports on an equal basis."
it at: http://www.pm.gov.uk/output/Page14994.asp
Prime Minister's Office
Petition information - http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Mindsports/
For convenience I give it below:
The Government recognises the important role that mind sports play in the lives of many people, and appreciates they help to combat social exclusion. However, it remains that decisions on whether particular activities and pastimes should be recognised as sports for official and funding purposes are made by unanimous agreement between the home country sports councils. As such it would be inappropriate for Government to intervene.