Chess ace Soumya Swaminathan: Religion has no place on sporting field

Her Facebook post, explaining the decision, has generated media storm and the-soft spoken law and commerce graduate is struggling to come to terms with it

Chess player Soumya Swaminathan has been left a bit shaken by the storm triggered by her pullout from a tournament in Iran over the issue of compulsory headscarf but remains firm in her belief that religious diktats should not extend beyond places of worship.

The woman grandmaster, who is also a former junior world champion, opted out of the Asian Team Chess championship after she found out about the organisers' instruction of 'compulsory headscarf'.

Her Facebook post, explaining the decision, has generated media storm and the-soft spoken law and commerce graduate is struggling to come to terms with it. "I am feeling bad that I am not able to answer properly. I am unable to handle it," she told PTI in response to the attention her decision has evoked. "It was a personal decision and I have nothing more to add to it. I believe in all religions and follow their rules but you can't force it outside religious places."

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