The decision is in direct contradiction to the IOC and Fifa opting to ban their participation after the invasion of Ukraine. The FIA has decided drivers will still be allowed to compete under an FIA flag. A statement from the newly appointed FIA president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, condemned the Russian invasion and his sadness at events in Ukraine but stopped short of taking genuinely punitive action. However last week Sulayem did write to Kostyuchenko, whose response was swift and unequivocal as he called for a ban on Russian and Belarusian competitors from FIA events. The FIA has been a recognised federation of the IOC since 2012.

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