Ukraine’s Minister for Youth and Sports, Matvii Bidnyi, has criticised the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) for lifting restrictions that had prevented Russian and Belarusian competitors from participating in international motorsport under their national identities.
Bidnyi said the circumstances that led to the restrictions following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 had not changed, arguing that easing the measures while the war continues sends the wrong message about the role of sport in international affairs.
“The reasons why Russia was banned from international sports competition have not disappeared. Nothing changes and it became even worse,” Bidnyi said in comments reported by BBC Sport.
The minister pointed to the continuation of Russian attacks on Ukraine and said Belarus could still provide military support to Russia. He questioned why international sporting organisations were moving towards softer policies when, in his view, the conditions that prompted the original sanctions remain in place.
The FIA’s World Motor Sport Council voted in August to revise its emergency measures concerning Russian and Belarusian drivers, teams, competitors and officials. Under the revised rules, competitors from the two countries can participate in international and zonal competitions without the previous requirement to sign a neutrality commitment, while their national flags, colours, symbols and anthems are also permitted.
The decision does not, however, amount to a full return of international motorsport events to Russia or Belarus. The FIA has maintained its ban on organising international and zonal competitions in either country and said it would continue monitoring the situation in Ukraine.
Bidnyi described the policy change as a major disappointment for Ukraine and argued that removing restrictions could weaken the broader international pressure being applied to Russia. He also accused Russia of using elite sport as part of its state propaganda system, describing such use of sporting platforms as “sportswashing.”
Ukraine had already formally asked the FIA to reconsider the decision. The Ukrainian Automobile Federation said the change had come as a surprise and argued that lifting the restrictions could have negative consequences for the integrity and unity of international motorsport.
The dispute has since escalated beyond the original appeal. On August 28, the Ukrainian Automobile Federation filed a formal complaint with the FIA Ethics Committee over the Russian Automobile Federation’s alleged operation of offices in Crimea, Sevastopol, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia. Ukraine argues that the offices operate in territories it regards as sovereign Ukrainian territory and that this allegedly conflicts with FIA rules governing national sporting authorities. The FIA and Russian federation had not immediately responded to the complaint when it was reported.
The FIA, meanwhile, has defended its revised position as part of changes that followed the International Olympic Committee’s July decision and similar developments by other international sporting organisations. The governing body has stressed that the ban on hosting international competitions in Russia and Belarus remains in force.
The controversy highlights the continuing divide within international sport over how Russian and Belarusian competitors should be treated while the war in Ukraine continues. For Ukraine, Bidnyi maintains that the original reasons for restricting participation remain unresolved, while the FIA has opted for a more permissive approach to competitors while retaining restrictions on hosting events in the two countries.
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