US woman chess player Nazi Paikidze-Barnes has expressed in a series of social media posts and a petition she will boycott the Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE), or World Chess Federation next year in the Islamic country of Iran because women are required to wear hijabs.
She reasoned her decision to boycott the Women's World Championship scheduled next year in Iran's capital of Tehran was because mandating women to wear hijabs was a human rights issue.
"It's unacceptable to host a WOMEN'S World Championship in a place where women do not have basic fundamental rights and are treated as second-class citizens," she wrote on Instagram.
"For those saying that I don't know anything about Iran: I have received the most support and gratitude from the people of Iran, who are facing this situation every day."
Social media users chimed in with support for Ms Paikidze-Barnes and criticised FIDE for accepting Iran’s condition.
Ms Paikidze-Barnes also launched a petition, demanding FIDE "reconsider its decision to award the Women's World Championship to Iran".
"In its handbook, FIDE explicitly states its guiding moral principles and one of them is that the organization 'rejects discriminatory treatment for national, political, racial, social or religious reasons or on account of sex,' she wrote.
"Yet, by awarding the championship to Iran, it is breaking that pledge to its members and subjecting them to discrimination on all fronts."
FIDE responded to the criticism in a statement, saying it had not heard any objections from country delegates to Iran hosting the game.
“Iran was the only country which made a proposal to host the event and since there were no objections from any of the delegates (representatives of 159 national federations), the General Assembly accepted the proposal,” the statement read.
It added there was no opposition to Iran’s hijab rule in a competition held in February 2016.
“There were no complaints from the players or officials and everybody respected the laws of the country, including the dress requirements.”
