Austrian association urges FIA members to reject statute changes

MONTREAL - The Austrian Automobile Association (OAMTC) has urged FIA members to reject proposed statute changes it fears will damage motorsports world governing body and limit opposition to the re-election of president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.

In an unsigned June 10 letter emailed to the mobility section of the FIAs world council, and seen by Reuters, the OAMTC set out its opposition to a vote on the agenda of the FIA General Assembly in Macau on Thursday.

We appeal to all members to support our motion to remove the voting on the proposed FIA statute changes from the General Assemblys agenda, the letter said, suggesting a postponement to a later meeting.

There is no urgency regarding these proposed changes ... they risk further contributing to the erosion of the FIAs reputation for competent and transparent governance.

It cannot be - and is not - a coincidence that changes relevant to the FIAs elections have been promoted by the FIAs leadership at the same time as the FIAs incumbent president has announced an intention to run in those elections.

Where there is even a risk of these changes appearing to benefit the current FIA administration, and not the FIA itself, the changes should not be adopted.

An International Automobile Federation spokesperson in London was not immediately aware of the letter but confirmed the vote was scheduled for Thursday.

Those attending the gathering in Macau could not be reached immediately for comment.

The OAMTC said the eight proposed statute changes raised issues of fairness and consistency, and that they would discourage opposition to Ben Sulayem.

Ben Sulayem is standing for re-election in December, with no rival candidate so far coming forward. He told Reuters last month when he confirmed he was standing that he welcomed competition.

Ben Sulayem recognised he had enemies but