The All India Chess Federation (AICF) has onboarded Asian chemical company Indorama as a co-sponsor of the Indian team for the upcoming 44th Chess Olympiad, which is scheduled to be held in Chennai from July 28 to August 10, 2022.

The Tamil Nadu government is providing the Indian team sponsorship worth INR 1 crore, while co-sponsors State Bank of India and Indorama have pledged INR 50 lakh each to the squad.

Bharat Singh Chauhan, AICF Secretary, commented: 

“We are delighted to welcome Indorama as the Indian team’s co-sponsor. 

“Hosting the Chess Olympiad is a dream comes true moment for us and getting support from the sponsors will help us make it a memorable event. It’s great to see chess getting corporate support which will encourage and bolster the growth of the sport in India.“

Indorama intends to associate with Indian chess in various ways and contribute to the development of chess in the country.

Aarti Lohia, the spokesperson of Indorama, commented:

“We have been supporting chess in the United Kingdom but we are Indians and want to support and promote chess in our home country. We, at Indorama, are super excited to be part of the journey of the Indian teams for the Chess Olympiad as co-sponsors. I am keen that young players benefit monetarily by playing chess as this is very essential to enhance the status of chess in India We believe this is a first step towards building a long and fruitful relationship.”

Dr Sanjay Kapoor, President of the AICF, has confirmed that about 75% of the sponsorship amount will go to the players, while the remaining will be utilised on conducting coaching camps and kits for the players.

The AICF has announced a 20-member Indian squad to take part in the prestigious event, which is scheduled to take place in India for the first time ever. India will field two teams each in the open and women’s sections.

Recently, the players took part in the first coaching camp in Chennai under mentor Viswanathan Anand and coach Boris Gelfand.