Marko Hanželic
Both countries are leading autocratic regime, who have been criticized for years for trampling on human rights and freedoms. With the increasing importance of sporting events, the topic of human rights violations is also becoming more and more public, but many human rights organizations they point out that the prestige of these events is being exploited by the ruling class to polish its image outwardly. I'm Sportswashing is the unofficial name of this practice, which is used primarily in Saudi Arabia.
In a country where executions are on the agenda, as in the Middle Ages, and where women were not allowed to drive cars until recently, we may have a final decision to make to win the world title. Amnesty International she urged drivers in advance to use their voice to raise awareness of human rights.
Proponents of such sporting events and important business partners of the countries argue that it will media attention accelerate the transition of these countries to modern society. This is supposed to help people a lot more than that boycott of events in the region. But what do Formula 1 drivers have to say about it all?
“This is a difficult question. This is not just a question for me, but for all of us, ” he says Sebastian Vettel. The German adds: “There are places we are more accustomed to than others. We agree with some cultures, but not with others. This is more a matter for Formula 1 as a whole than for me alone. ”
Lewis Hamilton, one of the few active drivers who draws attention to injustices, "That racers don't decide where they drive". Clearly, yes "There are problems in Saudi Arabia and in the region in general, as elsewhere in the world, but this part of the world seems to have a particularly bad reputation," he said. he says Hamilton.
Stefano domenicali of course, he happily joins the argument that their presence in this part of the world is moving things for the better. But it is also clear that formula 1 he makes really a lot of money in this part of the world.
According to media reports, only Saudi Arabia over the next ten years for the organization of Formula 1 races paid around $ 900 million. So that's $ 90 million a year - an amount that no European country can even come close to offering. With such amounts, therefore, the state of morality is completely different.
