Grenada team to make debut at 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest

Grenada: The Chess team from Grenada left the island on Sunday, September 8, 2024 to participate in the 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary. This is a proud moment for the team, as it is the first time that the island nation is being represented at the Olympiad.

According to Ruggles Ferguson, President of the Grenada Chess Federation (established in 2019), the Federation aims to expand chess nationwide in order to reach into communities and both primary as well as secondary schools as a competitive sport as well as an educational tool.

He added, "This particular year has been very successful for us because, first of all, we had our first national chess championships in May, in which a national champion emerged. In fact, the top three players in Grenada are on this team that's going to Budapest this evening, and we also have, in fact, a full ten-member squad, five males and five females."

The President also said that it is a great exposure for the young players and he hopes that when they return, it will be an inspiration for other young people to choose chess in the long run.

"It's the first time Grenada is ever participating in a Chess Olympiad. Chess Olympiad is equivalent to the Olympics of chess," he further emphasized. 

As the team left the island, Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell, Acting Minister for Youth and Sports, Delma Thomas, and Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Senator Seville Francis, bid them farewell at the Maurice Bishop International Airport and extended their best wishes to the team.

PM Mitchell noted, "We are incredibly proud of this historic representation and encourage our youth to embrace chess, not only for the growth of the sport but also for their personal development."

Notably, more than 2500 people from 200 countries are expected to be in Budapest, so Grenada is one of those 200 countries participating in the tournament.