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December 02, 2022 10 min read
The goal of the FIA President's EDI Award is to honor exceptional dedication to diverse and inclusive policies and initiatives that promote equitable, long-lasting, and quantifiable change.
12 of the 23 projects submitted for this prize align with the FIA's goal to double motor sport participation by lowering barriers to entry, particularly through talent-spotting programs and youth development initiatives:
More detail on these projects is below:
The Georgian Automobile Sport Federation (GASF) is one of the first FIA Member Clubs to have participated in FIA Rally Star, the largest-ever FIA global talent detection program, which with its strong youth-oriented and inclusive fundamentals contributes to the promotion of motor sport around the world. Mass detection events were held as part of the program's initial phase at the national level and promoted the idea that anyone can participate in motorsports. Four Slalom competitions were held as part of the program in three different Georgian cities. Over 350 drivers between the ages of 18 and 26 participated in the initiative, which was launched at the beginning of 2021 and ran for one month. After the event, the majority of participants entered local amateur competitions.
To promote motorsport in Uruguay and entice young people to compete in grassroots and entry-level motorsport categories, the Automóvil Club del Uruguay (ACU) took part in FIA Rally Star by organizing national talent detection activities. At order to cover the entire region, four regional competitions were held in Salto, Punta del Este, Mercedes, and Florida. Participants had to put their talents to the test on a Rally simulator and a Slalom challenge, making full use of the Rally Star hybrid method involving digital and on-track action. The top 15 competitors were then chosen to compete in the capital final. This experiment, which lasted for four months, gave men and women from various backgrounds their first taste of motorsports without charging them anything. This program brought together more than 500 participants and attracted over 3,000 spectators, was declared of national sporting interest by the Uruguayan government. It was supported by local companies such as Seguros Sura, Renault, the National Secretariat for Sport, local authorities and the Administración Nacional de Combustibles, Alcoholes y Portland (ANCAP).
In order to counteract the effects of COVID-19 on the Club's competitor base, diversify this base in terms of ethnicity and gender, strengthen MSA's position in Esports, and advocate for accessible motorsport for everyone, Motorsport South Africa (MSA) also participated in FIA Rally Star. The initiative, which was funded by the FIA Sport Grant Program, revolved around four Slalom competitions that were held in three separate provinces. Participants could participate in the Slalom and Esports challenges for free without having to bring their own car or any other equipment thanks to a cooperation with a driving school, MasterDrive South Africa. Male and female winners of each challenge competed in the national final to choose MSA's representatives at the continental final. The national final featured fifteen competitors, eight of which were female drivers. Fair representation of all significant South African ethnic groups was present in the competition. The selection process, the continental final, and an interview with the victors were all shown in a brief TV program. One of the female competitors in the continental final qualified for the FIA Motorsport Games in 2022. The FIA also chose MSA to host the FIA Rally Star continental final for Africa, which was held at the Zwartkops Raceway in Pretoria on May 27–29, 2022.
In addition to organizing national selection processes, the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) also planned the FIA Rally Star Asia-Pacific Final, which took place in Chennai, India, from October 10 to 12, 2022. The event, which was attended by officials from seven regional nations, highlighted three remarkable drivers, including a young Indian woman. Despite numerous obstacles, including severe weather that forced a one-month postponement of the Final, it was delivered successfully.Additionally, a special segment was added to the Asia-Pacific Final for competitors who were eliminated early in the competition. This segment included training and counseling to maintain the competitors' motivation and desire to compete in the sport. FMSCI wants to introduce Cross Cars to India, establish driving academies to train young drivers, and organize championships as a follow-up to the FIA Rally Star experience. The overall idea is for young people to follow a growth pathway from the bottom of the Rally pyramid to the top.
The largest challenge for the Belize Automobile Club (BAC) was promoting motorsport in a nation without a well-developed motorsport culture. BAC organized a national trip to spread the word about grassroots Slalom Karting to more than 200 kids from various groups, faiths, and backgrounds in an effort to develop the next generation of drivers. The project's core principles included hard labor, leadership, and discipline. Prior to the competition, all competitors in the championship took part in a virtual training to assure their safety. During the project's first year, a national tire business and car dealer funded it, and now other car dealers want to buy their own kart to field a team under their brand. Due to this project, BAC has received money from Slalom racer admission fees for the first time. A male driver and a female driver from the Slalom Championship Program were each given the opportunity to compete in the Karting Slalom division at the 2022 FIA Motorsport Games. Due to extensive local media promotion, BAC is now receiving inquiries from more families and even parents who want to participate.
TThe Cristiano Morgado Karting Academy was established for boys and girls starting at the age of four by the Automóvel & Touring Clube de Moçambique (ATCM) in order to promote motorsport among young people in Mozambique. The Karting Academy offers its pupils a specialized kart track, karts, full safety equipment (overalls, gloves, and helmets), as well as a training handbook. It is open to participants of all ethnic origins, faiths, genders, ages, and social backgrounds. The goal is to increase the number of Karting drivers competing at national and international events. To date, it has trained 70 new Karting drivers, 40% of whom are female. All courses are taught in English and Portuguese, and some are instructed by young karting drivers. The Academy was initially supported by the FIA Sport Grant Program, but is now self-sufficient. The success of this initiative can be seen in the fact that several private international schools in Maputo have now decided to include Karting lessons as part of the extracurricular activities, along with the more conventional sporting disciplines such as swimming and sailing. ATCM also developed a simulator-based program for schools to broaden the Academy's reach and discover new talents at the heart of the educational system.
The Simulation on Road initiative was started by the Turkish Automobile Sports Federation (TOSFED) in an effort to popularize motor sports among children in at least 40 far-flung cities in Eastern Turkey. A team of two Esports and gaming professionals traveled the region for six months with portable simulators, giving all kids the chance to learn about motorsport in places where there aren't many or any racing events. The Simulation on Road project, which hopes to act as a talent-detection program for future karting racers, also attempts to teach elementary school pupils the fundamentals of traffic safety through movies, brochures, and lectures by the TOSFED team.The project is backed by Turkey's Ministry of Youth and Sports and is funded by the FIA Sport Grant Program. It is implemented in conjunction with the directorates in the various cities. One boy and one girl from each city will be brought to the capital city of Ankara for additional simulation training during the project's next phase. Future plans for the project include real-world karting training for the top 20 kids, picking the three fastest kids, and eventually giving them a shot at competing in national karting competitions.
Motorsport UK released a sustainability strategy in 2021 that outlines the values that must permeate the entire British motor racing community in order to create a more inclusive sport. A specific Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Strategy has been developed as a result of the adoption of these principles, and it will be unveiled in December 2022. In order to ensure that action was taken right away, Motorsport UK appointed an EDI Manager and carried out two important programs prior to this launch. The first one depended on the creation of grassroots programs that spread throughout communities. Examples include FIA Girls on Track UK, the Loughborough Car Club Disabled Drivers Scholarship, the first-ever Racial Diversity in Motorsport Conference, the Race with Respect program, a recent collaboration with Ignite (a project of Mission 44 and Mercedes) to develop pilot programs to promote more diverse participation, and the StreetCar initiative that provides a low-cost alternative to traditional transportation. The second program included the establishment of a specific EDI Committee as well as four Sub Committees on Women in Motorsport, Racial Diversity, Disability and Accessibility, and LGBTQ+ to include the viewpoint and scrutiny of experts in both motor sports and non-motor sports. Both initiatives had great success and will be included in the overall strategy.
EduKarting is a STEM-based initiative that was created by the Bahamas Motor Sports Association (BMSA) and supported by the Bahamas government. It is based on the idea of "stealth" education, a cutting-edge method of instruction in which non-traditional tools, like games, are used to advance learning objectives and encourage students to learn while having fun. The program's objective goes beyond simply introducing Karting Slalom to all young people without distinction; throughout the course of the week-long program, participants must effectively establish a team of five persons holding a variety of roles in order to win the right to drive a Kart (Crew Chief, Mechanic, Financial Officer, PR & Marketing, Art & Design). EduKarting uses karting as a motivator to educate players teamwork skills in addition to driving skill and hbow to run a small racing business. It helps break down barriers by giving youngsters the opportunity to discover skills they did not think they had, in addition to experience the sport. Building on the success of the programme, which has been running for several years, in 2022 BMSA decided to take part in the 2022 FIA Motorsport Games and use EduKarting to select a team of Karting drivers who represented the Bahamas in three disciplines: Karting Slalom Cup, Karting Endurance and Esports.
Students from 100 technical schools from across Argentina compete each year in the YPF Eco-Challenge to design and construct working electric car prototypes using a kit that contains all the necessary parts and adhering to a set of technical specifications. The competition rules mandate that the kids, who come from a variety of backgrounds, form teams of male and female students, as well as teachers, and develop teamwork skills. After the car is constructed, the teams come together for a weekend-long national competition where they compete on an even playing field. By allowing each school to create its own car, the challenge fosters creativity and gives students a chance to learn about engineering and design, with the aim to trigger their interest in engaging in these types of careers. By incorporating women in the design, building, and competition processes, the project is assisting in improving female integration in technical institutions. To date, women have made up 40% of participants and 35% of drivers. The project has so far reached over 45,000 children and over 135,000 friends and family members. In this year's ECOFAN social media campaign for the challenge, one million people cast online votes to select their favorite team. The project is supported by many entities including title partner YPF, Siemens, the Fangio Association, the Argentinean Electric Vehicle Association, the Technological Institute of Buenos Aires and FIA Region IV. The YPF Eco-Challenge inspired the Automóvil Club del Uruguay which launched a similar competition.
The Motorsport Induction Course was developed by the Bahrain Motor Federation (BMF) to introduce young people in the Kingdom to motor racing, educate them on the many factors that go into running motor sport competitions, and make them aware of the variety of career opportunities available in this industry. Twenty-eight teenagers between the ages of 17 and 18 took part in a variety of activities from July to September 2022, including a fundamental marshal training, practical lessons on Karting engines and logistics, and classes on motor sport mechanics, first aid, and road safety. They also had the chance to learn about circuit racing and Drag Racing cars, as well as 4x4 vehicles and Off-Road racing techniques. As part of the training, the Bahraini youngsters enjoyed some leisure time at the Bahrain International Karting Circuit, a world-class grassroots motor sport facility, where they were able to suit up and test the circuit’s fleet of nine-horsepower karts. The students completed the programme with a tour that included the Sakhir headquarters of global racing helmets manufacturing giant Bell Helmets, the local automotive repair shop Aryan Xtreme Motorsports, and the Bahrain International Circuit’s facilities.
At a time when Norway lacked many professional motor sport athletes, the Norges Bilsportforbund (NBF) introduced its Young Driver Development Programme in 2010 to increase participation in motor sports. The program has evolved over the years with a stronger focus on the promotion of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) in motor sport. It now offers high-quality training across a variety of disciplines, including Rally, Rallycross, Karting, Drifting, Cross Car, Autocross, and Drag Racing. The success of training camps for female drivers has increased, and three of these drivers have made it to the National Team in various sports. Since 2020, there has been a specific focus on Esports to make motor sport more accessible and encourage young people to join. Courses offered as part of the NBF Young Driver Development Programme are very complete and address diverse topics such as driving skills, physical and mental training, nutrition, sponsorship, media/PR management, technology as well as safety on and off the track. The NBF is cooperating with the Norwegian Motorcycle Federation (a FIM Club), the Norwegian Olympic Committee and the Norwegian Institute for Sports Medicine, and the Programme has helped several drivers to become professionals.
The following 11 projects are being showcased in a news article that will be published on Thursday, November 24, as part of the FIA President's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Award.
On Friday, December 9, during the Annual General Assembly, the Award's winner will be revealed.
This is a summarry of an artical on the FIA website and the original can be viewed here.
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