SKOR.id – Nikita Mazepin is making headlines again after asking that her name be removed from the list of Russian citizens under sanction by any entity or government, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russia’s war against Ukraine is still ongoing, resulting in the exclusion of Russian runners and athletes from various international sports competitions. They can still compete as long as they don’t wear their country’s flag and attributes and play as neutral people.
One of the countries that came in with the biggest decision against Mazepin that was made last May was Canada. The country in the northern region of America includes a former Formula 1 driver (along with his father Dmitry) on a list of 14 people considered to be oligarchs, family members or relatives, or associates of the Russian regime.
The sanctions prohibit the 24-year-old Moscow-born runner from participating in various sporting activities in Canada, as well as possibly maintaining financial ties in the country.
This decision was obviously never accepted by Mazepin. The former Haas F1 Team driver is now fighting back.
The rider who took part in the Asian Le Mans Series this year notably filed a request with the Federal Court to be able to intervene so that the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly has her name removed from the “black list”.
Mazepin considered the actions of the Canadian government unfairly detrimental to his career because he was a “young sportsman and professional runner who is in no way involved in the aggression that is hurting Ukraine, nor is he involved in any sector of the economy that provides Russia with huge revenues.”
In addition, in his request to remove his name from the “blacklist”, Mazepin seeks communication within five days, as well as temporary measures to allow him to participate in sports activities in Canada.
In court documents submitted by Nikita Mazepin, it was also revealed that he made the same request last December. However, Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs missed the 90-day deadline to provide responses.
Moreover, still according to Nikita Mazepin, he did not even obtain the principles of justice by not giving him the opportunity to be heard on the decision to put his name on the list and by not obtaining the reason for lowering the penalty.
After making his F1 debut in 2021, Nikita Mazepin’s career, the world’s highest motor racing event, immediately crashed the following year. Mainly because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Initially, he and other Russian athletes were also sanctioned by the European Union. However, the sentence was later overturned by deportation provisional measure that is, temporary measures.
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