Bahrain Should Be Abandoned

Many here in the United States remember all of the talk of the "Arab Spring" last year. The uprisings across much of North Africa and the Middle East led not only to good news stories in the States but rising gas prices. For many though, it was just a few months of unrest in a part of the world which sees a lot of it and most have moved on from it as being any kind of significant news. Unfortunately, there are still many people fighting for freedom from oppressive regimes including the tiny nation of Bahrain.

In the heart of the "Arab Spring" last year the FIA made the right call in canceling the 2011 Grand Prix of Bahrain. The conditions on the ground weren't safe for drivers, crews or spectators. But the humanitarian issues of the crisis also need to have focus drawn to them. Formula One has a responsibility as a global organization to uphold the ideals of freedom around the world and to use its status as the premier motorsport in the world to not give validity to oppressive regimes. Conditions on the ground have not improved since last year, and FIA needs to step up to the plate again and cancel the 2012 edition of the race to show that it won't tolerate nations which don't uphold basic freedoms.

Don't think that the FIA has precedent for canceling a race, or ending an event entirely? One only has to look to South Africa to see what should be done. In 1985 multiple teams and drivers refused to enter the South African Grand Prix due to the terrible policies of apartheid. After the race FIA president Jean-Marie Balestre made sure that Formula One would not return to South Africa until apartheid was ended and Formula One held strong to that policy. They would only return in 1992 and 1993 after the policy was halted.

Formula One and it's teams need to make the right call here. The humanitarian situation and the safety of the teams, drivers, and crews mean that Bahrain shouldn't just be canceled but abandoned altogether. Canceling the race will show to the world that the FIA and Formula One will uphold the fundamental rights of people, and that this sport is about more than just making money. They need to do the right thing, here and now, just like they did after the 1985 South African Grand Prix.

Its time to abandon Bahrain.