Bahrain Grand Prix cancelled after team protests

Race circuit chairman says it ‘has been made clear that this fixture cannot progress and we fully respect that decision’ The Bahrain Grand Prix has finally been cancelled after Formula One teams complained about competing in the country, which has been racked by months of popular uprisings against the regime. Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone had already announced the race was now “not on” after a complaint from teams at the rescheduling of the event, which was initially put back to 30 October amid condemnation from human rights groups. The Bahrain International Circuit chairman, Zayed Alzayani, said: “While Bahrain would have been delighted to see the grand prix progress on 30 October in line with the World Motor Sport Council’s decision, it has been made clear that this fixture cannot progress and we fully respect that decision. “We want our role in Formula One to continue to be as positive and constructive as it has always been; therefore, in the best interest of the sport, we will not pursue the rescheduling of a race this season.” The Formula One Teams Association (Fota) wrote to the FIA on Tuesday with objections to the race being held, understood to be based on personnel and logistics. The event had been originally scheduled for March but was postponed as clashes intensified between Bahrain’s majority Shia population and the Gulf kingdom’s security forces, heavily backed by the forces of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states. Pressure on organisers to not reschedule the motor race had been intense, with a Facebook campaign calling for its cancellation receiving 320,000 signatures. At least a quarter of staff from the Grand Prix’s organising committee, Bahrain International Circuit, all of them Shia, were sacked in April after being accused of taking part in anti-government demonstrations. Clashes have continued since martial law was lifted, though not on the same scale as the running battles seen in mid-February and March. Authorities have been pursuing Shia opposition supporters who staged street marches to demand greater freedoms, equal rights and an elected government in the island kingdom. As the violence intensified, the calls for reform became calls for an overthrow of the 200-year-old Sunni dynasty, which demonstrators say actively discriminates against the country’s majority Shia population. Formula One Bahrain Arab and Middle East unrest Protest Middle East Motor sport David Batty guardian.co.uk

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