FIDE's recognition certificate by IOC

The International Chess Federation (FIDE) is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the supreme body responsible for organizing chess and its championships globally and at the continental level. This recognition was granted to chess in 1999 during the 109th session of the IOC in Seoul. FIDE President Florencio Campomanes initiated efforts for inclusion a decade earlier, and his successor, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, continued the work. The certificate of recognition, signed by incumbent IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch, designates chess as a sport and FIDE as its governing body.