The Ukraine war led to a moral sensitization in international sports associations. Links to Russia were severed in series and Russian athletes and officials were excluded. Even the money-driven Formula 1 deleted Nikita Mazepin from the starting grid and the Sochi GP from the racing calendar. That’s nothing more than a fig leaf, critics say, as other Formula 1 hosts are no less reprehensible. Already this weekend, the PS circus is holding its second race of the season in Saudi Arabia – in a country that has been at war in Yemen for years. A country where just recently 81 people were executed in one day.
Formula 1 boss Stefano Domenicali therefore spoke of “alarming news” before the race on Sunday in Jeddah. “I firmly believe that sport should focus on human rights, as should the country we are going to,” said the Italian, knowing full well that Formula 1 has long-term commitments to several countries with poor human rights records. A severing of all these ties, as in the case of Russia, seems unthinkable.
“In an ideal world, one’s own values match those of the investors and sponsoring brands, but in reality the financial requirement also plays an important role,” said Mathias Bernhardt, managing director of the research and consulting company Nielsen Sports. It is not only Formula 1 that is struggling with the emerging conflict. The Olympic Games in Beijing, the World Cup in Russia and Qatar, the Saudi sovereign wealth fund’s investment in Newcastle United – when it comes to choosing hosts and financiers in sport, morality and human rights are not always the winners. “But what is also clear is that in the end everyone needs more money to finance the entertainment that the fans also want to see,” explains expert Bernhardt the delicate situation. Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen resulted in one of the worst recent humanitarian disasters. Just before the Grand Prix, Yemeni Houthi rebels attacked several targets in Saudi Arabia, including an Aramco facility near Jeddah. The oil company is one of the largest financiers of Formula 1. At Aston Martin, the energy giant, which is largely state-owned, is the title sponsor.
Source: Nachrichten
