PCF must complain with FIDE

Philippine Olympic Committee president Celso Dayrit said the Philippine Chess Federation, which is in danger of losing its membership in the International Chess Federation (FIDE) because of the POC’s recognition of a newly-formed association, said the PCF was "barking up the wrong tree" by blaming the POC for its present predicament.

"It should be FIDE they are supposed to complain against, not the POC," said Dayrit in yesterday’s PSA Forum at the Holiday Inn.

Dayrit added that the POC granted the National Chess Federation of the Philippines, headed by GM Eugenio Torre, "conditional recognition" because the PCF never applied for membership in the first place.

In a separate interview, the PCF yesterday said the POC chief’s statement only contradicted earlier media reports that the POC granted an unconditional recognition to the new association, the National Chess Federation of the Philippines.

The POC’s recognition of the NCFP became the basis for the eventual approval of the membership of the NCFP during the Presidential Board meeting of FIDE in Tehran, Iran in August.

"They did not rectify this error. Now, they are washing their hands in public and starting to point the finger on the other," said PCF secretary general Edgar de Castro.

De Castro said the POC approved the application of the NCFP even as the latter could not show proof of its FIDE membership, a requirement for POC membership.

On the other hand, Dayrit said it was the PCF’s fault that it had to approve the application of the NCFP.

"If only they (PCF) applied for one earlier than the NCFP, we would have given them notice and asked for their opinion on this matter," said Dayrit.

The PCF had applied for membership during the terms of POC president Jose Sering and Cristy Ramos but its application was not acted upon because chess is not an Olympic sport. - J. Villar