Tunisia could lose its chances of hosting the 2019 World School Individual Chess Championships if it bars entry to a 7-year-old Israeli competitor.
Israel advocacy organization StandWithUs launched a campaign to pressure the World Chess Federation to ensure European School Individual chess champion Liel Levitan is allowed to participate in the upcoming championships in Tunisia.
The North African country does not have diplomatic ties with Israel and does not allow Israelis to enter the country. As of yet, Tunisia has shown no signs it was willing to make an exception for Levitan.
After hundreds of letters were sent to the World Chess Federation demanding Levitan be allowed to compete, Administrative Manager Polina Tsedenova said the World Chess Federation was taking the "the necessary measures" to pressure Tunisia to allow entry to all competitors.
She said that "we have requested an urgent explanation from the Tunisian Chess Federation. We are also sending them a separate letter requesting written confirmation that the 2019 World Schools Championship, which is scheduled to take place in Tunisia, will provide visas to all participants. Only after that will the organization of the tournament be confirmed for them."
According to a report in The Jerusalem Post, StandWithUs spokesperson Gilad Kabilo said the federation's response was "unprecedented and represents a breakthrough in the accountability of international sports organizations regarding the mistreatment of Israeli athletes in world sporting events."
