October 24, 2009

The Okrug Governor’s press-service informs:

Yesterday at the First All-Russia forum "Russia - a sports country" to be held in Kazan it was held the ceremony of lighting up the Chess Olympic Flame.

After the presentation of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug-Ugra the FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov for the first time in the chess history lit up the symbolic Olympic flame and handed over the torch to the Governor of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug Alexander Filipenko.

"We bear great responsibility for Russia’s reputation. In autumn of 2010 sportsmen from 160 countries of the world will come to Khanty-Mansiysk and we shall do our best to hold the Olympiad on a high level", - said Alexander Filipenko.

"Lighting up the Flame of the World Chess Olympiad we light up a way to intellectual victories of Russia. I am confident that Khanty-Mansiysk who competed with eight cities for the right to host this most important tournament, had a great success", - said Kirsan Ilyumzhinov.

Khanty-Mansiysk got the right to host the XXXIX World Chess Olympiad  at the 77-th FIDE Congress to be held in Turin in 2006.