Dakar ‑2017 champion in the MTB category Sergei Karyakin on the air of the program “There is a theme!” on , he declared having received a paper from the organizers, which calls into question his participation in the Dakar rally marathon.
Earlier it was reported that to be admitted to the Dakar Rally, riders must sign a statement condemning the Russian special operation in Ukraine. The document contains a clause that athletes can be removed from competition at the last moment.
– I became aware of this paper while trying to apply for the Dakar, I became aware of it and immediately asked the question blank whether I should sign it or not. They said it needed to be signed at the moment and that the organizers were working with the FIA to cancel this document. In addition to the fact that they demand to give up the flag and the symbols, of all contact with our country, so that no one can understand where we come from, there is a clause that says that additional restrictions can be applied in this agreement. In my understanding, this point is a one-way ticket, into which any legal act can be slipped and substituted. Of course, this is a provocation and a desire to show that there are Russian athletes who support Ukraine and do not support the policy of our country and the president. This is a subtle move that aims to try to play on legally unsophisticated people in order to make an image in their favor. This information war plays a very serious role. The fact that they deprived us of our national identity is perhaps normal for them. We, in the minds of the Russians, understand that this cannot be given up, and we are not going to.
Is this a political moment? For 4-5 years, the organizers of the Dakar have put me on the list of contenders for victory, but I can say that this is a question for the officials of the FIA. The organizers are interested in the fight. The race is a spectacle, and the tighter the race progresses, the more interest it generates. The organizers themselves are motivated to make money out of it. With us it would, of course, be more interesting.
I made my choice and I don’t regret it. If we are allowed to play without signing this paper, without renouncing our homeland, I will go to Dakar with pleasure. But if the question does not change, then unfortunately I will be forced to miss it, – said Karyakin.
Source : MatchTV
