FIDE WGP - Sir Joe Bossano’s Visit - 25 May 2021

“It’s a great pleasure, and with a sense of pride, that we are able to host this event. It’s a reflection of the fantastic work that has been done in the last 18 years by the organisers of the bigger event we used to have before, and it’s a good thing that you are able to travel here, and that Gibraltar is virtually Covid-free. That is something that has disrupted the lives of our citizens and throughout the world.

It’s now, hopefully, the start of getting back to normality, so we see this as an important event for the international chess community, and an important event in the drive we have, to not let the effects of Covid change our lives permanently. It’s been a temporary interruption of normality, and now we’re back to normality. Our government is committed to having an open door, welcoming everybody, and being part of the international community in every field, in our small way. We are a comparatively small country, but we believe that we have something to contribute, and when we try to do something, we try to do the best we can with our resources. So thank you for coming to Gibraltar and you’re all very welcome. I wish you all the best.”

Sir Joseph Bossano, KCMG, currently Minister for Enterprise, Training, Employment and Health and Safety; formerly Chief Minister of Gibraltar (1986-1996)

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Bossano