According to information from the FMJD website, published on 15.08.2025, the FMJD Board on 11.08.2025 made a decision to suspend (disqualify) players who participated in IDF tournaments or tournaments held on the territory of the Russian Federation from participation in all FMJD events, as well as FMJD continental championships, until July 31, 2026. This decision was made primarily by FMJD President Jacek Pawlicki and FMJD Acting Secretary General Vladislavs Vesperis in violation of international sports norms and the FMJD Charter itself.
The International Draughts Federation (IDF) expresses its strong protest against the actions of the FMJD!
The International Draughts Federation (IDF) is shocked by the authoritarian actions of these officials, directly harming dozens of draughts players from different countries, and expresses a strong protest against the use of such dictatorial methods. Any discrimination against athletes and federations for political, ethnic, religious and any other reasons is absolutely unacceptable in the civilized world. The decision taken by Pawlicki and Vesperis once again confirms that they are unworthy and incapable of adequately representing the interests of the world draughts sport.
The current FMJD leadership is an enemy of draughts, violating the Olympic Charter, sports laws and norms, separating rather than uniting countries and draughts players, violating the basic rights of athletes, destroying the achievements and traditions of the draughts movement, which has developed over many years thanks to the tireless work of all draughts players and organizers.
The 65 disqualified players from 20 countries are, for the most part, leading athletes of national and world level. The overwhelming majority of them were sanctioned by the FMJD for participating in competitions in another sport not cultivated by the FMJD (Russian/Brazilian draughts-64). More than half of the disqualified athletes have never participated in FMJD competitions – we are talking about children under 18, whose rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted by the UN General Assembly, have been grossly violated. Shame!
The absurdity of the situation is added to by, for example, the presence in the list of FMJD disqualified players of the multiple world champion in draughts-64, the number one in the world ranking 2025 Elena Scovitina (Moldova), who not participating in FMJD tournaments! What next, are we waiting for Pawlicki and Vesperis to disqualify Magnus Karlsson and Gukesh Dommaraja for participating in chess tournaments?
The International Draughts Federation IDF has never banned FMJD draughts-100 athletes from participating in IDF tournaments and vice versa, IDF athletes from participating in FMJD draughts-100 tournaments. Moreover, the IDF did not violate the agreement with the FMJD and did not take hostile actions against it even after its unilateral termination by the FMJD. While the FMJD, in violation of the agreement, created the “Portuguese Draughts Section” and began to hold “world championships” in this type of draughts-64. Current events once again highlight the inadequacy and dishonesty of the current FMJD leadership.
The International Draughts Federation IDF expresses its support to all those who suffered from the illegal decision of Pawlicki and Vesperis and joins in the demand to immediately cancel it and apologize to the suspended athletes.
We are for fair sport and sustainable development of draughts in the world, and not for a war with individual types of draughts, leading players and our future – young athletes!
