Why Formula 1 Should Not Be Going to Russia in 2014

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: October 9, 2014

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"We are happy, the sponsors appear to be happy, so we carry on," Bernie Ecclestone recently told The Times' Kevin Eason (subscription required) regarding this weekend's Russian Grand Prix. "No one has spoken to me about this race or told me that we cannot go. The sanctions do not affect us and what we are doing is not illegal."

So there you see the standard Formula One is currently working under: It doesn't matter if it's the right thing to do, or how bad the optics are, if there is a buck to be made and it's not illegal, here we go!

People involved in the leadership of the sport, including Ecclestone, per The Independent's Jerome Taylor and David Tremayne, have repeatedly said they do not want to become involved in political debates about the countries that host F1 races—which is fine.

Unfortunately, the decision to go ahead with the inaugural Russian Grand Prix in Sochi is as much a political statement as postponing it would have been. 

Russian president Vladimir Putin has been a vocal and visible supporter of the race. In 2010, for example, according to the BBC, he personally encouraged local businesses in Sochi to support the grand prix. Earlier this year, he met with Ecclestone and assured the F1 CEO that the circuit would be ready in time for the race, according to an AFP report (via Australian paper The Advertiser).

"I've great admiration for him," said Ecclestone, per CNN's Ben Wyatt, during the controversy earlier this year over gay rights in Russia.



Meanwhile, a recent Human Rights Watch report by Wenzel Michalski states, "Since Putin’s return to the Kremlin in 2012, Russia has resorted to the worst repression of human rights since the end of the Soviet era." That is in addition to the Russian annexation of Crimea and other incursions into Ukraine.

By going ahead with the race, is F1 giving its tacit approval to all of it?
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Article Source: Bleacher Report - Formula 1

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