Candidate for president of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) and CEO of Freedom Holding Corp. Timur Turlov analyzed in detail Samarkand's role as a new point of attraction for world sport, and highly praised the level of organization of the ongoing chess Olympiad. Turlov presented his vision in a column for Kursiv Media Uzbekistan. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
Timur Turlov drew attention to the deep historical symbolism of holding the largest tournament in the ancient city. In his view, global sports geography is rapidly expanding, and the world elite is being replenished by representatives of Asian countries.
"Samarkand has always been a meeting place of peoples. Long before the very word globalization appeared, this city already knew how to connect the world. Today it is doing so again. This time at the chessboard," he said.
Assessing the level of preparation for the tournament, the speaker expressed gratitude to the thousands of people who worked on launching the sports facility.
"You especially feel the scale from the inside. The huge complex works as a single whole, and guests are treated with great attention. Uzbekistan is receiving the chess world the way a host of a big house has received a guest with dignity here since time immemorial," the FIDE presidential candidate shared his impressions.
The FIDE presidential candidate emphasized that behind the high-profile victories of Uzbek athletes lies systematic work and the transformation of society itself. He cited as an example the country's national football team's historic qualification for the World Cup and the triumph of young chess players at the 2022 Olympiad.
"These results can no longer be explained by unique talent. Behind them stands an environment, a system that raises champions," stated the CEO of Freedom Holding Corp.
Fundamental changes in the state directly affect the mood of the population and economic potential.
"The most important change is hard to measure with statistics. A deeper shift is noticeable. People speak differently about the country's future. The country has developed a different sense of itself," notes Timur Turlov.
He added that he sincerely believes in the future of Uzbekistan thanks to its young population, growing economy and enormous cultural depth.
According to Timur Turlov, the sporting successes of the neighboring republic are becoming a strong motivation for developing relevant federations within Kazakhstan.
"When a neighboring country wins the Olympiad, and very young chess players begin to defeat the strongest grandmasters on the planet, you inevitably ask yourself what we should do," says Timur Turlov.
The entrepreneur emphasized the absence of human distance between peoples who have lived side by side for centuries. In his opinion, the relations between Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Kassym-Jomart Tokayev are of historic significance for the entire region.
"Our leaders are very consistently creating a space of trust. It is already felt in business ties and in relations between regions. Gradually this is becoming part of people's daily lives," said the FIDE presidential candidate.
He expressed hope that in 20 years new generations will perceive Central Asia as a natural center of development with constantly growing economic weight.
Speaking about the prospects of the global chess structure uniting more than 200 national federations, Turlov called for abandoning excessive centralization.
"I know how important the opportunity to prove oneself is and how much time a real result takes. Another important lesson for me is that a large system cannot be built if all decisions pass through one person," says Turlov, drawing on his managerial experience.
He is confident that an international organization must create a stable foundation for federations, allowing them to plan their work beyond the next calendar year.
"Uzbekistan does not need anyone from afar to explain how to develop Uzbek chess. The results of recent years themselves show how well the country knows its path," believes the CEO of Freedom Holding Corp.
He described his vision of the future structure through the FIDE motto — Gens una sumus (We are one family).
"In a good family, a person knows that no one will question his place at the common table, even if opinions diverge. That is how I would like the chess family to be," Turlov concluded.
In September of this year, debates of candidates for FIDE president took place. Timur Turlov announced the creation of a special fund and plans to invest more than $6 million in the development of chess to support small federations around the world. Turlov's rival in the election race, Vadim Rosenstein, left the debate broadcast early, avoiding answers to questions from opponents and moderators.
Later, the European Chess Union issued a statement. The organization confirmed its institutional neutrality and directly refuted the candidate's claims of support from the union's leadership.