CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Government and the All India Chess Federation (AICF) on Saturday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the presence of Chief Minister MK Stalin for conducting the 44th Chess Olympiad at Mamallapuram.
For the first time, this international event is scheduled to take place in Tamil Nadu. The Chess Olympiad will be held from July 28 to August 10.
Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development Siva V Meyyanathan, Chief Secretary V Irai Anbu, Daraz Ahmed, Special Officer for Chess Olympiad, and AICF president Dr Sanjay Kapoor were among those present on the occasion.
Over 2,000 chess players from 186 countries will be participating in this event. Meanwhile, the chess players who will be taking part in the Chess Olympiad called on the Chief Minister at the secretariat.
Meanwhile, leaving no stone unturned to make the 44th edition of the Chess Olympiad a memorable one, the Tamil Nadu government has formed 18 working committees headed by senior IAS officers.
Already, the State government has sanctioned Rs.92.13 crore for this international event in which chess players from 180 countries will take part. A 24-member coordination committee headed by Chief Minister MK Stalin has been formed to look after the works on the Chess Olympiad.
The 18 working committees will be responsible for the following activities during the Chess Olympiad: reception, transport, sponsorship, opening and closing ceremony, urban local body roads, electrification, water supply, sanitation, hospitality, event management, cultural and prize distribution, media, publicity, security, accommodation and food, health and medical services, venue, finance and tender, electricity and power supply, major roads and road furniture, organising school chess events, facilitating school and college students for attending the Chess Olympiad, FIDE/AICF coordination, Chess Olympiad Control Room and technology and IT services.
A total of 37 IAS Officers and DGP C Sylendra Babu will be in charge of these working committees. The government also permits Nishant Krishna, Executive Director, SIPCOT, to assist the Officer of Special Duty, 44th International Chess Olympiad in all aspects.