Last weekend, Russian Artem Severyukhin won the European Karting Championship stage held in Portimão, Portugal.
The 15-year-old athlete, who officially competed under the Italian flag due to the sanctions imposed by the International Motor Sports Federation (FIA), made what is known as the “Roman salute” at the award ceremony. heart region, he extended his hand forward. – “Newspaper. Ru”), then smiled and remained standing on the pedestal, listening to the Italian anthem.
Reddit users were the first to notice such an unusual way of celebrating victory.
The driver’s mother then told the media that this is how she “sends hearts to the team”.
Severyukhin began his professional career in 2013 at the Motorsport Sports School in Verkhnyaya Pyshma, Sverdlovsk Region, and has already achieved considerable success as the winner of the Russian Karting Championship in 2019 and 2020.
The behavior of a young kart driver in Russia was condemned. The winner of the Dakar rally marathon, Sergey Karyakin, said that Severyukhin was “not worthy to be a Russian.”
“I totally condemn this behavior, it’s just horrible. It seems that a person shows clear signs of a psychological disorder, not to mention moral principles that are not in his head. Unfortunately, there are such people in this world. Fortunately, he does not represent Russia.
I would be ashamed to be with such a person next to me. If I were the parent of such a child, I wouldn’t have known how to get rid of such embarrassment,” he told Match TV.
The President of the Russian Automobile Federation (RAF), Viktor Kiryanov, said in an interview with socialbites.ca that to make an objective assessment of what happened, you need to wait for the words of Severyukhin.
“Let’s not rush in advance. We contacted the parents who were already talking to him. Artyom should at least explain what he wants to do first. There is so much to think about! Only after he has explained everything will it be possible to make an assessment.
This is bullshit! This is terrible nonsense! He performs under the Italian flag, in Italy, also has an Italian license. Dad says it’s stupid! But the truth is we’re seeing something similar [на нацистское приветствие. — «Газета.Ru»]. But that doesn’t mean he wants to show it.
Something is wrong here. It is necessary to listen to Artem, and then make an objective assessment of his action. Well, he couldn’t,” said Kiryanov.
According to Match TV, the organization has started a lawsuit against the driver and is currently examining the legal aspect of the case. It is worth noting that news of the completed stage of the European Championship disappeared from the FIA social networks and all the photos and videos depicting this event.
The former coach of the athlete, Alexander Tegay, suggested that Severyukhin wanted to celebrate his success with a similar gesture, and this is article 20.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation. It was interpreted as a “public display of Nazi symbols,” according to the article.
“Even if there is discipline on the track, there are rules of conduct in sports. The rules describe whether it is possible to raise a hand after a victory. I think Artem was only emotionally happy with the win, he was proud of himself and his team. Because of events in the world, Europeans can find fault with everything, ”says the E1.RU portal, quoting the coach.
Artem Severyukhin later clarified the situation and described his gesture as “gratitude”.
“I want to address everyone. About the situation on the podium yesterday. I won the European Championship stage and I was very happy and happy. I am from Russia. I thanked the team and my relatives from Russia.
Someone saw a bad gesture in my behavior, it’s not. I just said thank you.
I am Russian, I am Russian and for my country, ”said RAF press secretary Maria Melnikova, quoting the racer.
The FIA has so far not responded to the scandal over the Nazi salute. It is possible for Russia to receive a long disqualification and suspension from competitions under the auspices of the International Motor Sports Federation.
Source: Gazeta
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