FIDE said in a statement that the game of chess has a "genuine global appeal" and that it has 189 national federations and 600 million people who practice chess globally.
The International Olympic Committee recognised chess as a sport in 1999 and a year later it was an exhibition event at the Sydney Olympics.
A bid by chess officials to be included in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics failed.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Toby Davis)
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