Ukraine Urges FIA to Reverse Russian, Belarusian Ban Lift
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- Ukraine's Minister of Youth and Sports wrote to FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem requesting the decision be reconsidered, a letter first reported by the BBC.
- FIA lifted the ban on Russian and Belarusian competitors competing under their own flags and anthems last week, ending a restriction imposed after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
- Ukraine's Automobile Federation called the FIA move "a complete surprise" in a public statement.
- FIA confirmed its ban on organizing events inside Russia and Belarus remains in force, saying the competitor update followed the IOC's July 7 announcement and similar moves by other international federations.
- IOC provisionally lifted its suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee last month, a step described as bringing Russia closer to reintegration ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
- Boris Rotenberg, president of the Russian Automobile Federation and a Putin associate on the EU sanctions list, called the FIA decision "Justice has triumphed" and said sport and culture "should be out of politics."
- Nikita Mazepin, the last Russian Formula One driver, was dropped by Haas in 2022 and has since raced under a neutral flag in the Middle East.
Why it matters: The decision shows the FIA is tracking the IOC's July precedent on Russian reintegration rather than holding a sport-specific line, and Ukraine's formal protest may force a reversal that other federations are now also weighing. With an EU-sanctioned oligarch publicly celebrating FIA's "constructive dialogue," the optics will complicate Kyiv's push to keep Russia excluded from international competition.
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