By Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw
The Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) has lifted a ban on Russian and Belarusian individuals competing in international motorsport events.
The ban had been in place since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
However, the Ukrainian Minister of Youth and Sports has written to Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the President of the FIA, requesting that the decision to lift this ban should be reconsidered.
The Automobile Federation of Ukraine has stated:
"Although this decision is consistent with the latest decisions of the International Olympic Committee, in the global motorsport system it may, in practice, have a counterproductive effect, first and foremost in the context of ensuring the integrity of competitions.”
And has added:
"As a result of the full-scale aggression by the Russian Federation with the assistance of the Republic of Belarus, Ukrainian motorsport has suffered significant losses, with a large number of our motorsport competitors having been killed during this war, and that such circumstances simply cannot be disregarded when considering decisions of this nature."
The FIA has stated:
"The FIA has updated the requirements for Russian and Belarusian drivers, national teams, competitors and officials following a vote by the World Motor Sport Council. This follows an announcement by the IOC on 7 July, and similar updates issued by other international sporting federations.”
And has added:
"The FIA maintains its ban on organising events and competitions in Russia and Belarus. The FIA continues to monitor the situation closely in Ukraine and reserves the right to update its position in the future."
Not surprisingly, the Russian Automobile Federation has welcomed this move, and its President, Boris Romanovich Rotenberg, a prominent Russian billionaire businessman who is on the US and UK sanctions list, has stated:
"Sport and culture should be outside of politics - they unite peoples. Justice has triumphed. We are grateful to the International Automobile Federation for the constructive dialogue and are ready to jointly solve all pressing issues.”
Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw may be contacted by e-mail at ‘