In a major setback, five young Indian chess players will miss the FIDE World Junior Chess Championship in Mexico City from September 22 to October 2 due to visa issues.
Just days before their scheduled departure, the five players, funded by the government, and two coaches did not get their visas on time.
The affected players are Vrashank Chouhan, Arun Kataria, Bhagyashree Patil, Prraneeth Vuppala and Femil Chelladurai, along with coaches Pravind Thipsay M and Kiran Agrawal.
"Despite the best efforts from the Indian government, we could not get the visas arranged," FIDE advisory board chairman Bharat Singh Chauhan said.
"It's a huge setback for the Indian contingent. It is not good news for the players involved, who will now be missing out on a great international exposure. They were also medal contenders.