Dakar Rally in Saudi is shining example of FIA’s policy on equality, diversity and inclusion, says world body’s chief

RIYADH: One of the ongoing goals of the FIA is to open the world of motorsport through policies that promote equality, diversity and inclusion.

This is the core mission of FIA President Ben Sulayem and his team, who want to ensure that opportunities are provided for as many people as possible, regardless of gender, faith, origin and financial background. A key target is to increase regional competitiveness and double motorsport participation by 2025.

One of the platforms to promote this mission has been the Dakar Rally, currently taking place in Saudi Arabia and considered one of the most popular motorsport events in the world.

The event has attracted a record 603 competitors, including 73 T1 crews, two T2s, 47 lightweight prototype T3s, 46 T4 SSVs, 56 trucks, 76 Dakar Classic cars and 13 Dakar classic trucks.

There are competitors from 68 nations, which includes entries in the motorcycle class. France has the most with 143 representatives, followed by 83 from Spain and 75 from the Netherlands. But there are entrants from South America, Africa, Australia, North America, Europe, the Middle East and several Asian countries including China, India, Japan and Kyrgyzstan.

There were 150 rookie competitors in the grueling opening round of the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship for the first time, and 54 women taking part, including 20 in the Dakar Classic and five female-only race crews.

Ben Sulayem and Robert Reid, FIA deputy president for sport, were greeted by Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal, chairman of the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation, when they arrived for a rest-day visit in Riyadh. The duo took a tour of the bivouac and met many of the leading crews, some of the younger competitors and