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Mosley: the line is when a race becomes a government tool
Posted: Monday June 06th 2011, 12:32 GMT
Former FIA president Max Mosley has voiced his concerns about the Bahrain Grand Prix, now scheduled for October 30th. The Brit who is not shy of controversy says that Formula 1 is making a mistake by moving to Bahrain this year: "By agreeing to race there, Formula One becomes complicit in what has happened. It becomes one of the Bahrain government's instruments of repression. The decision to hold the race is a mistake which will not be forgotten and, if not reversed, will eventually cost Formula One dear."
Mosley agrees with people saying that politics and sports don't mix: "Sporting bodies also have to overlook human rights violations in places where events are held and even in some member countries of the federations themselves." But Mosley sees a notable difference to other regimes that aren't perfect: "Surely the line has to be drawn when a sporting event is not mere entertainment in a less-than-perfect country, but is being used by an oppressive regime to camouflage its actions. If a sport accepts this role, it becomes a tool of government."
He warns that if that happens F1 becomes complacent in human rights violations: "If Formula One allows itself to be used in this way in Bahrain, it will share the regime's guilt as surely as if it went out and helped brutalise unarmed protesters."
