FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem named the three winners of the 2023 FIA President’s Awards at the FIA General Assemblies meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club (ADAC) was recognised for its achievements in climate action, the Automobile Club of Moldova (ACM) in road safety and Motorsport South Africa in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI). Each winner will receive a €10,000 contribution to support their project and other growth and development efforts.
Launched in September 2022, the FIA President’s Awards champion the work that Member Clubs do to drive sustainable and measurable change within motor sport and mobility. By celebrating Clubs’ efforts and successes, the Awards aim to promote wider conversation and positive change, ensuring that effective solutions can be recognised and adopted within the FIA community and beyond.
Speaking at the Awards Ceremony, FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem said: “We can be proud of our entries for the second edition of the Awards. There are great examples of improvements in the areas of sustainability, EDI and road safety.”
He added, “Today, we are celebrating the winners, all shining examples of how the FIA is a force for good in society.”
The ADAC was granted the Climate Action Award for its “ADAC Pendlernetz – powered by twogo”, a ride-sharing platform designed to reduce traffic and emissions around major sporting events.
ADAC Sport President Dr Gerd Essner said he was “delighted” to have been recognised and added: “With the app and the new opportunity to visit sporting events together, we are offering a sustainable solution to reducing transport emissions.”
The ACM received the Road Safety Award for their Safer School Zone campaign. The campaign has helped to drive effective policy changes, including mandatory 30km/h speed limits and improved infrastructure around school buildings.
ACM President Serghei Diaconu said: “The FIA President’s Road Safety Award is a great honour for our Club and a high recognition of the ACM daily efforts in road safety. Our team expresses huge gratitude to the FIA and the FIA Foundation for their credit, strong partnership and continuous support of our initiatives.
“We hope that the national policy mandating 30km/h speed limits will save lives and help Moldova to reach the UN global road safety goals.”
Motorsport South Africa was recognised for its motorsports classes initiative, which enables students at Daniel Pienaar Technical High School to learn more about the business and practice of motorsport, either as rally drivers, mechanics, or sports administrators. The programme has succeeded in driving motorsport uptake among girls and children from underrepresented backgrounds.
Chairman of Motorsport South Africa Anton Roux said: “I would like to thank the President for this award, but I am merely the messenger. The hundreds of young students who have benefitted from the programme over the last twenty years are the ones who are thanking the President. I hope more ASNs around the world will copy this model.”
The three winners were chosen from a strong field of 44 global entries. Entries for next year’s awards will open in spring 2024.
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