Former F1 athlete Kvyat says banning Russian athletes “unfair”

On Monday, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued a statement urging all major sports federations to ban Russian athletes from international competitions.

As the FIA ​​is a recognized IOC federation, the governing body of car racing is holding an extraordinary meeting of its World Motorsport Council on Tuesday to decide what response it should have to Russia’s military aggression.

One possibility is for Russian pilots to be banned from participating in FIA-sanctioned events.

Such a move could force Nikita Mazepin to leave Formula One and risk that Kvyat, who has to drive in the WEC this season, will also be removed from the race.

Writing on his social media channels, Kwiat expressed hope for a peaceful solution to the events in Ukraine, questioning pressure from sports authorities to take action.

“I really hope for a peaceful solution to this situation in Ukraine and that we can all live in peace,” he said.

“I hope that all parties can find a solution by sitting together and through a respectful dialogue. I am horrified to see two fraternal nations in conflict.

“I do not want military action and wars to affect the future of humanity. I want my daughter and all the children to enjoy this wonderful world.

I would also like to emphasize and appeal to all sports federations around the world, including the IOC, that sport must remain out of politics and that banning Russian athletes and teams from participating in world competitions is an unfair decision and contradicts what sport teaches us in principle. : unity and peace.

“Who else but us sports people will help unite nations together in the times to come?

The actions of the FIA ​​to ban Russian pilots and teams from participating in competitions will be followed by actions from other major sports federations, which do not show any tolerance for the events.

On Monday, FIFA announced that all Russian clubs and national teams had been suspended as a result of an IOC recommendation.

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Even before the FIA ​​called a meeting, Mazepin’s future in Formula One with Haas was in doubt after his father’s company, Uralkali, removed its brand from the US team’s cars last week.

Haas is expected to decide in the next few days on its plans for the upcoming season, with the second pre-season test to take place in Bahrain next week.

Mazepin wrote on Twitter last week that he “does not control much of what is said and done.”