India chess player quits Iran match over headband rule

Symbol copyright Soumya Swaminathan

Indian chess champion Soumya Swaminathan has pulled out of an Asian tournament in Iran over the country’s compulsory headscarf rule.

The 29-12 months-vintage Lady Grandmaster said the rule used to be a contravention of her non-public rights.

“Underneath the present cases, the one method for me to protect my rights is not to move to Iran,” she wrote in a Fb publish, which went viral.

The Asian Chess Championship will take place in Iran subsequent month.

Ms Swaminathan, who’s ranked No FIVE in India, instructed native media that the tournament used to be at the beginning supposed to be held in Bangladesh. “But once the new dates and new venue came up, I excused myself,” she stated.

Image Copyright @Saptarshi77 @Saptarshi77 Symbol Copyright @ExSecular @ExSecular Image Copyright @sagarikaghose @sagarikaghose Symbol Copyright @abhijitmajumder @abhijitmajumder

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Twitter post by @abhijitmajumder: If you are a great professional and a strong woman/man, you don ’t need to play victim or do drama. You do your job, and calmly make a statement.Indian chess champ Soumya Swaminathan says no to headscarf, pulls out of Iran event.Take a bow, Soumya. Image Copyright @abhijitmajumder @abhijitmajumder

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This isn’t the primary time an Indian athlete has withdrawn from a tournament over the similar factor. Heena Sidhu, a best shooter, pulled out from the Asian Airgun meet in Iran in 2016 for the similar explanation why.

American chess player Nazi Paikidze also drew international attention while she refused to wait the Women’s Global Championship in Iran in 2016. In an Instagram post, she wrote that it used to be “unacceptable” to host the tournament in a place “the place girls don’t have basic basic rights”.

An global chess tournament hosted in Saudi Arabia closing yr additionally triggered controversy whilst a double global champion mentioned that she might boycott the event. Ukrainian chess player Anna Muzychuk mentioned that she did not wish to put on an abaya, the full-length, unfastened-fitting gowns women are required to put on in public in Saudi Arabia.

The International Chess Federation (FIDE) stated Ms Muzychuk had been misinformed about the state of affairs and that a dress code had been agreed, which means there was little need to put on an abaya.