Cricket may have no future at the Olympics - with the IOC having refused to include cricket as a game into the Olympics citing its diminutive popularity as the reason. However, the World Chess Federation (FIDE) is enthusiastic of raising the international status of the game, with the motive of introducing Chess into the Olympics in the near future.
Two games making debut at the forth coming Asian Games are Triathlon and Chess: World Chess Federation has come-up with a uncanny step to earn the game some popularity - use of banned performance enhancing substances (drugs) has taken it’s toll, every sport and it’s athletes have been tarnished by this ever growing imp, and maybe the World governing body for Chess has taken the menace seriously and has come up with a solution to the problem as a precautionary measure.
FIDE will introduce dope testing in the sport at the Asian Games beginning on the 1st of December, it so weird, just like the sport’s top official in Doha it’s hard to comprehend how consumption of drugs could enhance a players performance in Chess.
Yousuf Ali the competition manager quoted,
“I would not know which drug could possibly help a chess player to improve his game.”
Many top competitors such as former World Chess champion Rustam Kasimdzhanov will be amongst the 60 odd participants flocking in for the debut event in Qatar, the players will go through a drug test post their respective rounds. It is indeed a commendable move made by the Chess federation, I hope the other Sports federations too take some heed and help curtail the Drug menace. However, I am still perplexed over the main issue; can drug boost player performance in Chess?
