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34th World Chess Olympiad Opens in Istanbul
The 34th World Chess Olympiad was opened in the Turkish largest city of Istanbul on Saturday.
Turkish State Minister for Sports Fikret Unlu, Chairman of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) Kirsan Ilyumizhinov and President of Turkish National Olympic Committee (TMOK) Sinan Erdem attended the opening ceremony, reported the Turkish semi-official Anatolia News Agency.
Unlu said at the ceremony that it was a pride for Istanbul, which was the cradle of many civilizations, to host the world chess masters.
Emphasizing that Istanbul has a very important geopolitic structure, Unlu noted that this olympiad is an opportunity to share the tolerance which brings together people of different religions and cultures.
Unlu stated that the occasion will be a reference for Turkey, which is a candidate country to host the 2008 Olympic Games.
All the chess games will be live broadcast on the Internet , Unlu added.
Ilyumzhinov said that almost 1,500 people from 128 countries, including China, had come to Istanbul to join this olympiad.
More than one billion chess-lovers can watch the chess games through the Internet for three week, Ilyumzhinov noted, adding that thus, people visiting the web-site can also learn about the beauties of Turkey and Istanbul.
The competition will start Saturday afternoon.
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