Ukrainian motorsport federation appeals to FIA to overturn Russia inclusion

The Ukrainian motorsport federation has launched an official appeal to the FIA over its recent decision to lift restrictions on Russian and Belarusian participation in its International motorsport competitions.

Last week, it was announced in a letter from the FIA's legal office that provisions which had been in place since March 2022, in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, would be lifted.

No outright ban was ever issued for drivers, competitors, or officials from the countries, and they have been able to compete on the 'FIA flag' banner.

"Russian and Belarusian drivers, national teams, individual competitors and officials are allowed to participate in international/zone competitions without any restrictions," read the statement. 

"The requirement of signing a commitment to neutrality no longer applies."

That became binding at a meeting of the World Motor Sport Council on August 3rd, with Russian and Belarusian national symbols and flags now allowed, and national anthems now allowed to be played.

A ban on international competitions in the territory of the two countries remains. 

The FIA added that it "continues to carefully monitor the events in Ukraine and reserves the right to take any further actions or implement further measures in the future, including any necessary actions required to comply with its obligations under any applicable sanctions regime and/or any contracts to which the FIA is a party."

In response to the decision to lift the restrictions, the Automobile Federation of Ukraine (FAU) has expressed its "categorical disagreement" with the decision and as appealed to the president of the FIA and members of the WMSC with a call to "urgently review and cancel the decision of August 3, 2026, and restore restrictions on the use of state symbols of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus."

In the appeal, seen by RacingNews365, the FAU provided that Russia's "armed aggression" against Ukraine continues, and that the "return of the state symbols of the aggressor countries contradicts the principles of Fair Play and creates serious ethical and security risks."

The FAU accused Russia and Belarus of using "sport as an instrument of state propaganda", and that "international sports policy towards the aggressor states should not be revised without taking into account the real state of the war and the position of Ukraine."

The FAU claimed that more than 650 Ukrainian athletes and coaches, including representatives of motorsport, had been killed in the war, with the body informing the Ukrainian Ministry of Youth and Sports of the situation, and appealed for it to join its response against the decision. 

The body said that it was "waiting for the official response" of the Ministry, and would communicate future steps when appropriate. 

The International Olympic Committee also provisionally lifted Russia's suspension in July, which was imposed in October 2023 after the invasion the previous February. Russian athletes had already been banned from representing the country since the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics after state-sponsored doping offences, including at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.