Ukraine's Motorsport Body Wants Action Against Russia

Ukraine’s motorsport authority has asked the president of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, to put sanctions on the Russian motorsport body. They claim Russia has broken the rules set by the FIA.

The Federation of Automobile and Motorcycling of Ukraine accused the Russian Automobile Federation of setting up offices in areas of Ukraine that Russia occupies. This includes Crimea, Sevastopol, and parts of the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions.

The FAU stated on its X handle on Wednesday that the territories are recognized by the United Nations as part of Ukraine. This appeal is the latest action by the Ukrainian federation after the FIA decided in August to lift restrictions on Russian and Belarusian drivers in international motorsport.

The FAU expressed anger over the lack of action from the global governing body. They said previous requests to the FIA Senate and Ethics Committee did not get any response.

Urgent Appeal to FIA

The federation has also taken its case to the FIA’s International Court of Appeal. In a letter to Ben Sulayem, FAU president Oleksander Feldman urged the FIA to act quickly. He warned that if the FIA does nothing, it could hurt the governing body’s credibility.

“Such short-sighted and counterproductive inaction is unbecoming of representatives of a global governing body,” Feldman wrote. He also called the situation “a dangerous precedent” that may lead member organizations to ignore FIA rules.

Feldman has asked for Russia’s FIA membership to be put on hold and for strict rules to be brought back for Russian athletes in international competitions. He also wants a public statement saying that “the forcible redistribution of sporting authority is unacceptable.”

The FIA’s rules only allow one automobile club or national sporting authority to represent each country. The latest demand from Ukraine comes after comments from Ukraine’s Minister for Youth and Sport, Matvii Bidnyi. He criticized the FIA’s decision to lift restrictions on Russian competitors.

“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.