22/06/2021
NEWS STORY
FIA president, Jean Todt believes that sport should not get involved in politics.
His comments come at a time many are questioning the decision to take Formula One to Saudi Arabia and other questions the countries with human rights issues that the sport already visits.
Speaking ahead of this year's season opener in Bahrain, one of several nations observers claim the sport should not be visiting, Lewis Hamilton said: "There are issues all around the world but I do not think we should be going to these countries and just ignoring what is happening in those places, arriving, having a great time and then leaving".
As pressure on the sport to either boycott those nations or at least speak out, out-going FIA president, Jean Todt believes that sport should not get involved in politics.
"It's something which is very dear to my heart," said the Frenchman. "And since now five years I'm very much involved with the UN as secretary general special envoy for road safety.
"If you see the high level panel I made on road safety, you have Michael Ellison, a former high commissioner for human rights," he continued. "You have Michelle Bachelet, who is the actual high commissioner for human rights. You have Filippo Grandi, the high commissioner for refugees. So in a way, it's a privilege I have to be discussing with them.
"Yesterday Stefano (Domenicali) came to visit me, and I had Jacques Toubon, former justice minister who has been until last year in charge of human rights in France, and I spoke with him about that. Everybody is in favour of having races wherever around the world. I mean, we are a sport.
"It's also something I discussed very often with the International Olympic Committee, with Thomas Bach. Because they have the same problem. And clearly we consider that sport should not be involved with politics."
In terms of human rights, he said: "We need to engage with NGOs... and I mean, good NGOs, like Human Rights Watch, who are proper people, to try to say, what kind of contribution we can give? So we are working, we're working on that.
"You can interpret the way that it helps you," he added. "In my opinion, going in those countries gives also the chance for people who are negative about the country to speak, which probably they would not have otherwise. So, as I said, it's a lot of question of interpretation. But, for me, I feel right."