Former Russian Formula One driver Daniil Kvyat said Tuesday that “sports should remain outside politics” and decried the banning of Russian athletes from competition as “unfair” after his country’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russia have been thrown out of the 2022 FIFA World Cup and all its national teams and clubs banned from international football competitions.
The decision by FIFA and UEFA, as well as similar suspensions announced by other sports, including athletics and ice skating, came after the International Olympic Committee urged sports federations to impose bans on Russia and Belarus.
Formula One’s Russian Grand Prix scheduled for September 25 was cancelled on Friday.