FIDE reply to GM Vadim Milov's statement of June 25, 2004

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FIDE reply to the statement of Mr. Milov dated June 25, 2004

Dear ACP Board Members,

It is with regret that FIDE took note of the fact that Mr. Milov forfeited the first round in the ongoing World Chess Championship in Tripoli.

In his statement dated 25 June 2004, Mr. Milov says that "Although I signed the contract and agreed to play in the World Championship in Libya, I was excluded from this tournament only because of my possession of the Israeli passport. Fide has done everything possible for me to miss this tournament. They sent me the invitation too late (on Friday 18th of June), which was the arrival day and I already physically couldn't get the plane to Tripoli".

Based on the facts in this matter, FIDE cannot accept Mr. Milov's reasons for not playing in the World Chess Championship. The delay of Mr. Milov's invitation was related to the fact that Mr. Milov did not send his passport details within the given deadline. Information regarding visa and passport details was sent to all the participants and their federations a long time ago, and this information has also been available on the FIDE website.

The invitation was sent to Mr. Milov just a few hours after midnight on June18th and as Mr. Milov had already been informed in the evening of June 17 by the FIDE representatives that the invitation was on its way, there was absolutely no need for him to cancel his flight. Even after the cancellation it still would have been no problem for Mr. Milov to reach Tripoli in time. The FIDE Secretariat in Tripoli managed to find several flights, which had made it possible to make the trip to Tripoli in time. FIDE also offered to pay for flight costs and even to postpone Mr. Milov's first game if necessary.

Despite all these efforts made by the organizer and the FIDE Secretariat, Mr. Milov still decided not to travel to Tripoli. Based on the facts in this case, FIDE cannot accept any liability and any legal action against FIDE will be strongly contested. FIDE will consequently not pay any compensation as demanded in Mr. Milov's statement.

Best regards

Morten Sand
FIDE Vice-President
FIDE Legal Advisor