Members

We are committed to fostering inclusivity and social responsibility within the motor sport and mobility communities, including through our work with Member Clubs. 

Doubling Motor Sport Participation

Supporting regional development programs and young talent engagement and participation initiatives: 

Regional Talent Development Programmes

The FIA provided support to the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) to deliver the MENA Karting Championship Nations Cup, an established nations cup for regional young talent.

The event was hosted in December 2023 and welcomed 165 drivers from 15 countries. Morocco placed first with UAE in second and Qatar third. QMMF President, Abdulrahman bin Abdullatif Al Mannai said:

We are honored to host exceptional talent from the Middle East and North Africa at LIC’s karting track. The MENA Karting Championship Nations Cup empowers drivers in the region and provides a stage for them to display their outstanding skills. I extend my gratitude to all participating countries and talented drivers. I would also like to thank FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem for his efforts to empower the youth and develop talent through this championship. 

The first Young Driver Academy in Central Asia & the Caucasus region was created by the Automotorsport Federation of the Republic of Kazakhstan (AMFK) and held in September 2023 at Sokol racetrack in Almaty, Kazakhstan. 

The event was funded by the FIA Sport Grant Programme. 

The event gathered twelve young male drivers and three young female drivers, from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia. 

AMFK, President Marat Abykaev, said: 

This initiative not only places motor sport in our region under the spotlight but also serves as a catalyst for promoting the sport, particularly karting, among our exceptionally talented youth.

Affordable Motor Sport Worldwide

As part of the global effort to double motor sport participation worldwide, the FIA launched in 2023 the new karting platform “Arrive & Drive” to allow the FIA members to offer low-cost karting competitions, in partnership with local tracks and rental providers. They can also apply for funding via the FIA Sports Grants, sign up for the FIA’s training and instruction on regulatory, sporting and promotional matters, as well as use the Arrive & Drive Toolkit which was released in December. 

With over 3000 rental karting tracks around the globe, leisure karting is an untapped resource for the competitive motor sport market. 

Affordable, accessible, and local, leisure karting appeals to people from all backgrounds – opening up new opportunities for talent discovery, youth engagement, and revenue generation. 

CIK-FIA President Akbar Ebrahim added:

Through this accessible programme managed by our ASNs in collaboration with rental karting track owners, we will create a virtuous spiral from the recreational market – the foundation of karting – to the racing community sanctioned by an official FIA title. The FIA, as the governing body of motor sport, is putting the infrastructure in place to shape this concept. Going forward, we will rely on the support of our global network of 147 ASNs to bring it to life.

Club Development Programmes

With the world’s largest youth population (66% of the population was aged below 35 in 2023), India is one of the FIA’s key mega markets. 

FMSCI’s Chief Executive Officer, Dhyanchand Moses, said:

FMSCI’s vision is to enable, energise, challenge and drive the passion for motor sport at the grassroots level in India, along with awareness in Sustainability, Diversity, Inclusiveness and Equality.

Human Capital Development

The FIA’s first High-Performance Programme (HPP) aims to provide a clear pathway for outstanding Race Directors and Stewards, from all genders and regions, to take on roles in the FIA’s World Championships. In its first year, 24 men and women from 17 countries joined the programme. 

In 2023, the first recipient of the FIA Engineering Scholarship, Argentinean Jesica Salvini, started her MSc in Advanced Motorsport Engineering at Cranfield University (UK). The scholarship was launched in 2022. Its purpose is to remove financial barriers to a career in motor sport by covering the full cost of tuition and key living expenses. The scholarship was promoted to FIA Member Clubs in 146 countries, and Cranfield reported a significant change in the profile of applications. 

FIA President, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, said:

As a knowledge-led Federation, we know that high-quality training and mentorship is essential to ensuring excellent practice. I am pleased to see the success of the first HPP class, and would like to congratulate students and mentors alike for the fantastic assignments given in the 2024 season.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Award

The FIA President’s “Equality, Diversity & Inclusion” Award aims to recognise and celebrate the initiatives, individuals, or organisations that have made significant contributions to inclusivity and accessibility in motor sport or mobility. 

22 Members applied for the Award in 2023. Applicants shared submissions on issues such as youth development, women’s participation, disability inclusion, and community engagement.

Ultimately, Motorsport South Africa (MSA) received the award for its motor sport education initiative at Daniel Pienaar Technical High School. The initiative aims to teach schoolchildren about the business and practice of motor sport, with the aim of encouraging more young people to consider careers in the industry. The programme has succeeded in driving motor sport uptake among girls and youth from underrepresented backgrounds.

Chairman of Motorsport South Africa, Anton Roux said:

I would like to thank the President for this award, but I am merely the messenger. The hundreds of young students who have benefitted from the programme over the last twenty years are the ones who are thanking the President. I hope more ASNs around the world will copy this model.

United Against Online Abuse Barometer

A benchmark for research-led initiatives

The FIA launched the survey, presented as a barometer, under the auspices of the United Against Online Abuse campaign – a strategic initiative designed to address the impact of online abuse against athletes, officials, volunteers, and others involved in the sport. 

It has been designed to provide an assessment of the extent of online abuse against athletes, competitors, officials and participants aligned to international sporting bodies. 

The respondents were asked to evaluate the direct and indirect impact of online abuse, categorise the forms of abuse that they consider most prevalent and consider how a coherent response to the scourge of online abuse may be shaped and measured. 

A total of 22 sporting federations and NGOs, including FIFA, UCI, ITF, World Athletics, World Netball and the FIA, contributed to the new research. 

The findings include that 75% of the respondents to the survey reported that competitors regularly face threats of harm against themselves or their families, and 66% of federations believe that social media platforms should do more to tackle online abuse. 

Responses paint a clear image of a challenging and aggressive social media environment. 

Three-quarters of federations said that sports stars regularly face threats of harm against themselves or their families, with 90% saying that this is likely to lead to them quitting the sport. 

Respondents also set out their solutions, with 95% saying that social media platforms have a key role to play in tackling the problem, either voluntarily or under obligation. 

Mohammed Ben Sulayem, Founding Partner of UAOA and President of the FIA, said:

Online abuse is a persistent issue within the sporting world. A number of international federations have voiced their concerns via our barometer survey and in regular discussions we have held since the campaign launch in 2022. The survey findings highlight the importance of united anti-abuse efforts across sporting ecosystems and beyond. As part of the UAOA campaign, the aim of our coalition is to rid our sport of the scourge of online abuse. Together we seek to bring about behavioural and regulatory change to create a safer, more harmonious environment free of abuse, hate speech and harassment. We already have the support of a number of sporting bodies and governments and are in discussions with other stakeholders to grow our support base.

Disability Inclusion

• New guidance on karting events for those with disabilities has now been included in the FIA Karting Guidelines for Drivers with Disabilities, available on the FIA Karting website. The guidance was produced by the FIA Disability & Accessibility Commission (DAA) in collaboration with the CIK, FIA Safety and Technical departments.
• The FIA’s latest Vehicle Adaptation Guidelines were released on the United Nations’ International Day of Persons with Disabilities. They now include adaptations to karts and entry level controls for cars for both ASNs and club level competitors to facilitate safe access to racing for mobility-impaired competitors.
• The FIA has also continued to support through FIA grants, ie: disabled driver pathway in digital motor sport and driver scholarships (UK)
• The EmPowering Disabled Motor Sport seminar was added to the FIA Safety Week agenda to support disability inclusion worldwide.

Grants Programme

In 2023, the FIA’s grants programmes continued to support its Members in implementing diversity and inclusion initiatives. In total, €121K were allocated to sport and mobility activities linked to diversity & inclusion. The following projects were supported through grants: 

• Brazil: FIA Girls on Track, F1 in Schools and visit an F1 Race 
• Canada: WIM Canada exhibit at Canadian Grand Prix in 2023 
• Indonesia: FIA Girls on Track 
• Mozambique (cluster): African Karting Cup 
• UK: Disabled driver pathway in digital motor sport and driver scholarship 

Scholarship

In 2023 the first recipient of the FIA Engineering Scholarship, Argentinean Jesica Salvini, started her MSc in Advanced Motorsport Engineering at Cranfield University (UK). 

The scholarship was launched by the FIA President in 2022 to remove economic barriers by covering the full cost of tuition and major living expenses in the UK and promote access to motor sport engineering to talented young engineers worldwide. Cranfield reported significant change in the applications profile, as the FIA Members in 146 countries had the opportunity to promote the offering with local academic partners in their communities.

Professor of Automotive Engineering, James Brighton said:

At the highest levels of motor sport there are still barriers to entry for the brightest engineers, with fierce competition for roles. Engineers need to have a passion for the sport, exceptional technical knowledge, and the ability to work in a fast paced, high-pressure environment. This scholarship will allow a student that typically would not be able to join us the chance to study in the UK, on our leading postgraduate programme. Through our relationships with the industry combined with their desire, we will build the attributes, skills and network needed to start their motor sport career.