On Tuesday, Bernie Ecclestone expressed concern about the protests taking place in Bahrain. His fears have been confirmed today with the cancellation of the GP2 Asia event that was supposed to take place at the Sakhir circuit this weekend.<\/p>\n
It must be said that events have taken a completely different turn in recent hours with the police charge on protesters who were demanding reforms at Pearl Square (renamed Tahrir by the protesters in reference to the iconic protest site in Egypt).<\/p>\n
The world’s great leaders have therefore stepped up, foremost among them the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon: \u00abReports coming from Bahrain tonight are very worrying.\u00bb<\/p>\n
The same sentiment comes from the British Foreign Minister, William Hague: \u00ab We are very concerned about the deaths that have occurred and emphasize the need for peaceful actions to address the protesters’ concerns, the importance of respecting the right to peaceful protest, and the freedom of expression. \u00bb<\/p>\n
It should be noted that the chancelleries fear an influence from Shiite Iran that could resonate within the Shiite-majority population of the Kingdom. That’s why William Hague states: “It is time to build bridges between the different religious communities in Bahrain and I have also said that we would firmly oppose any interference in Bahrain’s affairs by other nations or any action to inflame sectarian tensions between the Shiite and Sunni communities of Bahrain.”<\/p>\n
In light of such statements, sporting considerations naturally take a back seat. This is why GP2 Asia preferred to cancel this weekend’s event so that demonstrators would not attempt to use the event’s media coverage to make their cause known to the world. A statement was issued to announce the cancellation of the event: Following the current events in Bahrain, at the request of the Bahrain Motor Federation, it has been decided that the remainder of the events scheduled to take place this week at the Bahrain International Circuit are canceled due to force majeure.<\/p>\n
The holding of the inaugural event of the Formula 1 World Championship is therefore increasingly compromised, even though there is more than a month remaining before its scheduled date.<\/p>\n