Dutch women's chess star Anna-Maja Kazarian received a yellow card warning, a fine of 100 euros, and possibly a ban for wearing a pair of shoes found to be non-compliant.
(国际象棋新星Anna-Maja Kazarian)
Kazarian wears these Burberry canvas shoes...
(Kazarian被罚的那双鞋)
And the reason for her punishment is also a little speechless:
FIDE officials believe that Burberry canvas shoes are not "ordinary sneakers" and that they appear "too sporty" and too informal.
So, what do "ordinary" sneakers look like?
FIDE considers the following male players to be wearing "ordinary" styles that are not so sporty.
("Normal" sneakers worn by male players)
After being punished, Kazarian couldn't help but complain about the incident on social media, which sparked anger among netizens against FIDE:
When it comes to the way it comes to the attire of male and female players, FIDE's long-standing double standard has made Kazarian another victim.
As a rising chess star in recent years, Dutch female player Kazarian has attracted many fans with her superb chess skills.
(国际象棋新星Kazarian)
Not long ago, she arrived in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, to participate in the Tour Championship. Because she does remember that the FIDE dress code has a clause that "you can't wear rubber shoes that are too sporty".
So she carefully selected and found a pair of Burberry canvas shoes that her sister gave her.
（Kazarian在比赛场地外拍照）
Unexpectedly, when she walked into the competition venue wearing these shoes, she was still stopped by an FIDE official:
"Your shoes are too sporty and not up to standard, so change them out!"
Kazarian's eyes widened in surprise on the spot, and she began to quickly explain:
It's not a sneaker, it's a canvas women's shoe...
But the officials didn't listen to her explanation at all, and ordered her to either change her shoes or accept punishment.
The race was about to start, and Kazarian didn't have time to run back to the hotel to change his shoes, so he walked into the arena distraught and failed to play well throughout the game.
However, before the matter was over, Kazarian received a yellow card warning notice as soon as he returned to his hotel:
Kazarian was said to have been fined 100 euros for failing to comply with FIDE's dress code. If you don't correct it in time, you will be banned from the next game...
(Yellow Card Warning Notice Received by Kazarian)
In the face of such a punishment, Kazarian seemed a little helpless, and she immediately posted the punishment order on social media, accompanied by the text:
"My shoes aren't sneakers!!"
(Kazarian insists she wasn't wearing sneakers)
In the evening, she recorded another video and complained about the incident on social media.
She disclosed that FIDE has always done this, and whenever the arbitrator finds that the shoe is "too sporty," they issue a penalty warning, ignoring the standards of the outside world.
As long as the arbitrator determines that it is a sneaker, it is a sneaker!
(The arbitrator of FIDE in the middle)
As for the standard of punishment, some media compared the dress code on the official website of FIDE and found that the double standard was a bit obvious.
In terms of the prohibited dress code, both men and women are prohibited from "wearing rubber shoes worn in sports".
However, female players also have two more items: "no high heels" and "no revealing clothing".
In practice, the article "prohibiting the wearing of rubber shoes in sports" is also vague and double standard by FIDE.
It was found that many of the male competitors wore the usual white sneakers, which were considered by the arbitrators to be up to standard and formal.
(Male athletes in sneakers can be seen everywhere)
And the female player Kazarian wore canvas shoes, which was considered "too sporty".
(Burberry canvas shoes considered to be sneakers)
In fact, Kazarian is not the first player to protest against FIDE over a dress code.
Back in the 2017 Iran Chess Championship, Argentine player Carolina Lujan withdrew from the tournament in anger because she was dissatisfied with FIDE's mandatory requirement for all female players to wear headscarves.
(Lujan יהוה)
Many netizens couldn't help but complain about Kazarian's experience.
"As everyone knows, all shoes are equal. But some shoes are more equal than others. - FIDE"
"To me, the dress code for chess is ridiculous and stupid. ”
"Very fashionable shoes, very unfashionable FIDE officials. ”
"The fact that they decided to impose such crazy rules is clearly not for everyone, or that there is no need to enforce them all the time. ”
"Maybe FIDE should draw up an entry form that lists the shoes that players can wear by brand, color, and style......