Human Rights organization urges FIA to stop ‘sportswashing the blood-soaked images’ of Bahrain ahead of the 2023 Formula one season opener
Formula One can't catch a break, BIRD, a Human Rights group, has written to the FIA expressing their concerns about racing in Bahrain.
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Bahrain Circuit, Image via Formula One
The 2023 Formula One season will begin on March 5th at the Bahrain International Circuit. With just a few days to go, there has been an issue raised. The human rights group, BIRD ( Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy), has written to the Formula One CEO, Stefano Domenicali. They have expressed concern about Formula One’s role in “sportswashing”.
Sportswashing refers to governments using sports to improve their reputation and distract the world from their wrongdoings. It is a way of presenting a friendly version of the political regime or operations going on in a country. This is a controversial term. While hosting races in countries like Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, Formula One will have to face this and has faced it before.
Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, the Advocacy Director of the human rights group, made some remarks on the latter. “Despite horrific human rights records, both states enjoy generous F1 contracts and exploit the F1 platform to sanitize their image on the world stage, while thousands of political prisoners languish behind bars.” He called for Formula One to establish an independent inquiry to examine the role of their races in human rights violations.
“The FIA must adopt a human rights policy consistent with UN principles. Failure to do so will allow their sport to continue to be used to repair the reputation of brutal dictators.” A Formula One representative commented on BIRD’s statement to CNN. They stated that Formula One has worked to be a positive force in all aspects irrespective of where they race.
Formula One vows it respects Human Rights and takes them seriously
In a sport like this, where the races are held across the world, Formula One has to bring countries together to share their passion for the sport. They further stated, “We take our responsibilities very seriously and have made our position on human rights and other issues clear to all our partners and host countries who commit to respect human rights in the way their events are hosted and delivered.”
The FIA, Formula One’s governing body, declared to CNN that they would not interfere in the “internal affairs of a sovereign state”. This is a common rule for all sports federations. They are independent of the internal matters of the state. This is in accordance with the International Olympic Committee. However, the FIA stated that it does not mean they are insensitive to the issues going around.
Formula One’s goal is to unite people, regardless of their background. The FIA aims to work on projects that bring positive changes to society. This brings us to Formula One’s ban on political statements. Sir Lewis Hamilton has always stood up for human rights issues, and he recently commented on the ban that he would continue doing what he feels is right. The Briton will make political comments if he deems it necessary. Formula One cannot contradict its statements. The upcoming season will disclose where the sport stands regarding human rights issues.
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Justin P Joy
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