The Russian Nikolai Grjazin has signed up for the World Rally Championship in Jyväskylä. According to the chairman of the national sports association, Jarmo Mahonen, the competitor must sign a paper condemning the Russian war.
Like last year, there is a Russian driver on the list of participants of the Jyväskylä World Rally Championship held at the beginning of August Nikolai Grjazin. According to the list of participants, Grjazin drives in the WRC2 class for Skoda.
Chairman of the national sports association AKK Jarmo Mahonen states that the matter is not up to AKK to decide. He reminds that the International Automobile Federation FIA has the right to decide on the participation of the Russians.
– As a national sports federation, we have of course decided that Russians do not have the right to participate in Finland, but this is not in our hands, because the question is the World Cup. The FIA already made the decision a few years ago that they will accept Russian drivers in the series, Mahonen tells Urheilu.
Also last year, the participation of Grjazin and two other Russians in the Jyväskylä World Rally Championship was talked about behind the scenes. At that time, the Russians competed in Jyväskylä without national emblems.
– There are conditions associated with participation, such as having to sign a paper condemning the Russian war and of course performing without country symbols. We don’t have much to say about that. He normally gets a visa to Finland, says Mahonen.
Mayor of Jyväskylä Timo Koivisto sees Russian driving in Finland as a very difficult situation from the city’s point of view. According to Koivisto, Jyväskylä is an important partner in supporting the Finnish World Rally Championship.
– Our line is that we have cut off all cooperation with the Russians. For example, we have not had a sister city in Russia since this illegal attack. I would also like the Russians not to participate in the rally, which is an important event here.
Tarkiainen hinted at sanctions
Jyväskylä World Rally Championship Director Kai Tarkiainen hinted to last year that AKK could have received a sanction if it had not allowed the Russians to compete.
– Maybe we could have prevented it and said that you are not coming. We might have been sanctioned. I have been able to hear rumors from the world when things have been discussed somewhere. It has been announced quite directly that you can watch the work elsewhere and this rally is no longer included in this series, Tarkiainen summarized.
Last year, before Jyväskylä, we also drove in Estonia, but no Russians were seen there, as the country’s Ministry of the Interior denied Russians entry to the country.
The IOC kept the sanctions in place
The coalition Petteri Orpo boycotted the World Rally Championship in Jyväskylä last year. At that time, he commented on the matter to Keskifinomini Orpo stated that he does not understand why Russians would be able to drive a rally in Finland.
The Minister of Science and Culture who was responsible for sports at the time Petri Honkonen on the other hand, said that he cannot decide to prevent entry as sports minister.
In March, the International Olympic Committee IOC announced new recommendations regarding Russians and Belarusians. The IOC kept the sanctions against the countries in force, but allowed the international sports federations to restore the competition rights of individual athletes under certain conditions.
At the beginning of May, 36 countries the sports ministers outlined, that Russia, which broke the Olympic peace, should not use sports to justify its attack on Ukraine.