In the round-up: FIA’s political crackdown veers close to restricting human rights, an organisation representing athletes claims.
In brief
Athletes body calls out FIA for restricting competitor freedoms
Global Athlete, an international movement led by sportspeople, has called the FIA’s new restriction on motorsport competitors making political statements “absurd” and said the governing body “must not” limit drivers’ human rights.
“Without athletes, the sport does not exist. It is blatantly hypocritical to tell athletes to stick to their sports and stay out of politics while the FIA consistently leverage politics to their advantage,” said Rob Koehler, Global Athlete’s director general, said in a statement to RaceFans.
“Freedom of expression is a basic fundamental human right and sport rules cannot supersede human rights. Many people look up to athletes as agents of change. The example set by the FIA is that every child, youth and adult watching the sport should remain silent on social justice issues. It is simply wrong. Shame on the FIA. Athletes are humans first, athletes second.
“Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states ‘Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference’. Sport rules must not have the ability to limit that right. What’s next, will they take away drivers’ rights to vote? It’s totally absurd.”
Football’s global governing FIFA and the Olympic committees have previously made moves to restrict political activity by competitors during events. Koehler said he hopes “drivers do the same” as Olympic athletes who made stances that led to the loosening of such rules.
Schumacher and Vettel reunite for RoC
Mick Schumacher has been announced as the latest entry for the 2023 Race of Champions, meaning he will form Team Germany alongside Sebastian Vettel once again for the event’s Nations’ Cup.
The pair first teamed up in 2019, after Vettel had previously partnered with Mick’s father Michael for six successive Nations’ Cup wins from 2007-’12, then did so again when the event returned in February of this year on the snow and ice of Sweden.
Vettel was ROC runner-up, then the pair were knocked out in the quarter-final stage of the Nations’ Cup. Their opposition next year, in Sweden once more, includes Finland’s Valtteri Bottas Valtteri Bottas and Mika Hakkinen, Le Mans legend Tom Kristensen and Formula 2…
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