USCF not supporting Womens Team for World Team Chess Championship

[ChessFire]

Thanks to a Russian site for making this announcement.

====

The US Team Will not Play in Mardin

The US Chess Federation made a final decision of not sending a team to
the Women's World Team Chess Championship which will take place in
Mardin, Turkey and informed organisers about that by the following
letter:

Mr. Ali Nihat Yazici, Members of the Organizing Committee, and
interested parties:

After serious consideration of multiple issues and several topics that
were a concern to us, the USCF has decided to respectfully decline the
invitation to the 2011 Women's World Team Championships.

One of the primary concerns was the principle that, although the
qualification process for teams to the Women's World Team Championship
are the same as for the World Team Championship, the regulations for
the conditions are not consistent. We feel that this is an
inappropriate gender bias and hope that this issue is addressed in the
near future. We wish you the best success with the event.

Regards,
Bill Hall
Executive Director
United States Chess Federation

(Source: Chess-News.ru / ChessToday.net)
Chess daily news from Susan Polgar

[EJAY]

Politics always gets in the way. What about our players who are
qualified to participate? They are the only ones who will get hurt as
the event will go on with or without US. Just my two cents..

EJAY

[BLafferty]

Hurt by who? For US citizens and other "western" travelers, travel to
that city is quite risky. Note the recommendation of the Australian
http://www.google.com/url?sa=D&q=http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/zw-cgi/view/Advice/Turkey&usg=AFQjCNGpGLODn4A7r9MNTUUMUNlexji8AA

If the US sent a team and Heaven forbid there were an attack and
injuries or death to US team members, what would be the liability of
the USCF?

[EJAY]

> that city is quite risky. Note the recommendation of the Australianhttp://www.google.com/url?sa=D&q=http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/zw-c...

>
> If the US sent a team and Heaven forbid there were an attack and
> injuries or death to US team members, what would be the liability of

> the USCF?- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Was not aware of the safety concerns. So i stand corrected.My first
thought (without seeing any memo's) was that the decision was
politically motivated like when the US boycotted the Olympics years
ago. ( I think 1980 summer)...Safety is of course a primary concern.

EJAY

[BLafferty]

It turns out that the members of the team were also consulted about
the decision. Another factor was the inequality between the mens and
womens team championships which evidence a change by FIDE form last
year.

[samsloan]

> that city is quite risky. Note the recommendation of the Australianhttp://www.google.com/url?sa=D&q=http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/zw-c...

>
> If the US sent a team and Heaven forbid there were an attack and
> injuries or death to US team members, what would be the liability of
> the USCF?

I am not buying it.

A giant 40 story tall construction crane fell down in New York City a
few months ago killing several pedestrians on the street. Does that
mean nobody should visit New York City?

We heard all kinds of Terrible things about Khanty-Mansiysk Siberia
before the World Chess Olympiad last year but those few of us brave
enough to visit there found the conditions wonderful and everybody
agrees it was the best World Chess Olympiad ever.

Should nobody visit the USA because of the 9/11 attacks?

Sam Sloan
in Shenzhen, in China

[Taylor Kingston]

On Dec 2, 6:46 pm, samsloan <samhsl...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Should nobody visit the USA because of the 9/11 attacks?

You're right, Sam. Stay away.

[BLafferty]

False analogy. Even you should know that.

[None]

On Dec 3, 10:29 am, BLafferty <lafferty1...@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Dec 2, 9:46 pm, samsloan <samhsl...@gmail.com> wrote:

>

> False analogy. Even you should know that.-

He does... His analogies are always so thin that you can see right
through them.