Sports Minister Honkonen to the Central Finns: The FIA should have prevented the Russians from participating.
28.7. 19:32
A week the participant list of the upcoming Jyväskylä World Rally Championship is heating up behind the scenes. The participation of Russian competitors in the World Cup rally arouses anger. Three Russian contestants have registered for the competition.
“We have to act according to the instructions of the FIA, the International Automobile Federation. Competitors drive without national emblems, and they do not use their country’s flags or national anthems,” says the CEO of AKK-Motorsport ry, the national association of Finnish motor sports Riku Bitter for STT.
In addition, the competitors have signed a document condemning the attack on Ukraine.
“This is a disgusting situation. It is an international competition and then we go according to the rules and guidelines of the FIA. If it were a national competition, then we would act differently.”
“In the current season, Russian drivers have competed in Croatia, Portugal and Sardinia after the war of aggression against Russia, with these same FIA instructions.”
In the World Rally in Sweden, Russian car athletes were also involved, because Russia’s attack on Ukraine started when the rally started.
The situation at the Jyväskylä World Rally Championship was reported earlier Central Finland. According to the magazine, the Russian racers coming to the rally are Vitali Antonov, who drives in the RC5 series, and Vitali Antonov, who drives a Skoda in the RC2 class Nikolai Grjazin and his map reader Konstantin Alexandrov.
In July, the Estonian Ministry of the Interior denied entry to Grjazin and Aleksandrov, so the athletes could not participate in the World Rally Championship in Estonia.
About sports corresponding Minister of Science and Culture Petri Honkonen (center) thinks that the FIA, the international automobile association, should have prevented Russians from participating in the Jyväskylä World Rally Championship.
“Personally, I would certainly have hoped that the International Motor Sports Federation would follow the guidelines of the International Olympic Committee and completely exclude Russian athletes from international sports activities,” Honkonen commented in his email to Keskifinomainen on Thursday.
Honkonen tells the newspaper that as sports minister, he cannot decide to prevent entry to the country.
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