Vaidotas Žala clearly stated on his Facebook page on Friday what he thinks about the recent FIA decision.
“The decision to allow the Russians to participate in international competitions, including Dakar, has been announced.
As long as rockets fall on Ukrainian civilians, Russian flags belong in the trash,” the famous racer wrote on Facebook.
This post by Vaidotas received thousands of reactions. Many thanked V. Žala for his straightforward opinion, criticized the FIA decision, and several noted that “money rules.”
Žmonės.lt reminds that since March 2022, in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the FIA had imposed restrictions on drivers from aggressor countries. The FIA made exceptions: Russian and Belarusian drivers were allowed to participate under the FIA flag.
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This option was only possible on the condition that athletes adhere to the FIA principles of peace and political neutrality.
However, on August 13, the FIA Legal Department announced that the previously adopted emergency measures are being lifted:
“Russian and Belarusian drivers, national teams, individual participants, and officials are allowed to participate in international and regional competitions without any restrictions.”
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