There is a proposal to boycott the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Sochi. The anti-Russia hysteria has seized the minds of sports authorities as well. The football and tennis federations have got it in the neck too.
“It is an unprecedented situation since the Second World War, and we have to ask ourselves how history will remember us and what we did or did not do”, Ari Vatanen, the head of the Estonian motorsport federation, told The Telegraph. “Bernie Ecclestone, F1's and the teams' owners need to scrap the race”.
Vatanen, a former rally driver and a current FIA representative, also said: “It would send a message of acceptance if we went to Russia. It would say we condone, effectively, maybe not explicitly, but by our actions we condone what is going on because it is used in propaganda. It is often said that Formula One should not mix politics and sport, but the Russian regime is already mixing politics and sport in a blatant way, so we have to respond.”
The Grand Prix in Sochi is scheduled for October 12, 2014. The track has been built and Russia has already paid $200 million for the right to host the race.
FIA president Jean Todt has not made any official statements regarding cancellation of the race. The Russian Automobile Federation and other companies responsible for the organisation of the race run on schedule and comply with all obligations.
Rumours of cancellation of the Russian Grand Prix have been circulating for quite a long time. But they have been nothing but rumours so far. Let’s wait and see if FIA has enough of common sense.
