Photo Credit: GETTY IMAGES – Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been president of the FIA since December 2021
Ukraine Motorsport Federation Demands Sanctions on Russia Over Occupied Territories
Ukraine’s motorsport governing body has petitioned the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) President, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, to sanction its Russian counterpart for allegedly breaching the FIA’s statutes.

The Federation of Automobile and Motorcycling of Ukraine (FAU) accused the Russian Automobile Federation of illegally opening offices in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories, including Crimea, Sevastopol, and parts of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions.

The FAU, in a statement posted on its X handle on Wednesday, stressed that the territories are recognized by the United Nations as part of sovereign Ukraine.

The petition comes weeks after the FIA lifted restrictions on Russian and Belarusian drivers competing in international motorsport back in August — a decision that has drawn strong criticism from Ukraine.

According to the Ukrainian body, it is “outraged by the prolonged inaction of the global governing body,” noting that its previous petitions to the FIA Senate and Ethics Committee received no response. It has now also taken the matter to the FIA’s International Court of Appeal.

In a letter to Ben Sulayem, FAU President Oleksander Feldman warned that the FIA’s silence risks damaging its own credibility.

“Such short-sighted and counterproductive inaction is unbecoming of representatives of a global governing body,” Feldman wrote, calling the situation “a dangerous precedent” that could encourage members to ignore FIA rules.

The FAU is demanding three actions: suspension of Russia’s FIA membership, the reintroduction of strict restrictions on Russian athletes in international competitions, and a public declaration that “the forcible redistribution of sporting authority is unacceptable.”

Under FIA regulations, only one automobile club or national sporting authority is permitted to represent each country.

The latest call echoes comments from Ukraine’s Minister for Youth and Sport, Matvii Bidnyi, who earlier condemned the lifting of the ban.

“The reasons why Russia was banned from international sports competition have not disappeared. Nothing changes and it has become even worse,” Bidnyi told BBC Sport.
Source: Punchng.com