FIDE Elections – the rival bid
14.11.2005 A new and serious bid for the Presidency of FIDE has emerged, jointly launched by Bessel Kok, representative of the Dutch Chess Federation; and Ali Nihat Yazici, President of the Turkish Chess Federation. The election take place in May 2006, with the incumbent Kirsan Ilyumzhinov running for a further term. Press release.
The next election for FIDE President will be held during the Chess Olympiad
in Turino, Italy, which will take place from from May 20th to June 4th 2006.
The Olympiad will be hosting the FIDE Congress, where the incumbent President
Kirsan Ilyumzhinov is standing for reelection (the rules of the election
can be found here).
Press
release |
Monday,
14th November 2005 |
The Right Move
The Royal Dutch Chess Federation and the Turkish Chess Federation, supported
by the Czech, Maltese and Slovak Federations, announce the candidature of Mr.
Bessel Kok and Mr. Ali Nihat Yazici for the posts of President and Deputy President
of FIDE (The World Chess Federation) at the forthcoming elections in Turin
in May 2006.
Candidates Ali Nihat Yazici, Bessel Kok
The Federations express their confidence in the success of this highly
accomplished team. The key objectives of the new team have been laid out below.
- To transform FIDE into a leading quality sports Federation, offering a
well managed transparent infrastructure, which serves amateur and professional
players alike, with integrity and respect;
- To overhaul FIDE’s outdated business model;
- To secure financial support on a medium and long term basis with commercial
sponsors;
- To have open communication with national federations, players, organisers,
sponsors and advertisers so as to raise the stature of chess worldwide;
- To achieve consistent, long-term success in the game through player development
at every level, with particular focus on chess in schools;
- To actively support the continued development of chess through the internet
as a broadcast medium and instructional platform;
- To create an independent advisory body of professional people who can contribute
to the continuous development of chess;
- To work with the International Olympic Committee and other National Sports
Associations in the promotion of chess a leading international sport.
Short biography of the candidates
Bessel
Kok
Co-founder of S.W.I.F.T (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication)
in Belgium, International Banking Network currently providing payment services
to 110,000 banks in 124 countries. He then became President and CEO of Belgacom
(The Belgian National Telecom Operator). In 1995 he was appointed Vice Chairman
and Chief Operating Officer of Cesky Telecom and in 2004 Chairman of Eurotel
(Czech mobile operator with 4.5 million customers). He has also acted as a
Senior Advisor for Morgan Stanley in the Czech Republic and currently acts
as a Senior Advisor with Cerberus Capital Management New York and also is the
Chairman of Scarlet Telecommunications group in Holland. He was Chairman of
the World Chess Grandmaster Association (with Kasparov and Karpov) from 1985
till 1991 and more recently was the key driver behind the Prague Agreement
in 2002.
Ali
Nihat Yazici
Born in 1964 in Adapazari, Turkey. In 1987 he attended the Technical University
of Istanbul to study electronic and communication engineering. In 1994 he did
an MBA degree at the Middle East Technical University, and in 1996 completed
the highest honour degree of the International Academy of Broadcasting in Montreux,
Switzerland. He has worked as an engineer in the Turkish Radio Television Corporation,
becoming Chief Engineer of the TRT in 1992, and Head of the TV department of
TRT in 1999. In 2000, Ali, who speaks Turkish, English and French, was elected
President of Turkish Chess Federation. He is a board member of the European
Chess Union, Deputy President of the Mediterranean Chess Association, Chairman
of Chess in Schools Commission, FIDE Rules and Tournament Regulations Committee
member, a FIDE International Arbiter and FIDE international Chess Organiser.
As the president of TCF, he has organised more than 60 international tournaments
including world championships, European championships. He has also succeeded
in making chess part of the curriculum in all primary schools in Turkey.
Contact Information
A letter from the President
Václav Havel, a Czech writer and dramatist, was the last President
of Czechoslovakia and the first President of the Czech Republic.
To whom it may
concern
I
have been informed that Mr. Bessel Kok may be proposed by the Netherlands
Chess Federation as a candidate for becoming the President of the World
Chess Federation FIDE during next year’s elections in Turin (Italy)
During the last
ten years I have known Mr. Bessel Kok both privately and professionally
where he worked for my Foundation VIZE 98 on several projects. I also
am familiar with the outstanding way he has promoted in the last twenty
years the noble game of Chess in the Czech Republic and abroad.
I warmly recommend
Mr. Bessel Kok for the position of President of FIDE.
Vaclav
Havel
|
|