FIA boss planning to end age limits for office holders

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem is planning to end age limits for office holders in motorsport's governing body.The move, which has been proposed for approval at next month's FIA General Assembly, comes six months after Ben Sulayem ended term limits for those holding leadership posts across the organisation.The FIA statutes currently rule out anyone over the age of 75 from standing as part of a presidential team.Critics say it is the latest step by Ben Sulayem as he seeks to ensure he can remain FIA president for life.The proposal to be put forward to the General Assembly, which has been seen by BBC Sport, argues that "age limits could restrict the number of qualified candidates eligible for election by the competent bodies, in particular individuals whose experience and expertise could be of benefit to the FIA".An age limit of 70 was imposed in 2023, during Ben Sulayem's first presidential term.It was a tactic to prevent MotorsportUK boss David Richards from being able to oppose Ben Sulayem at the 2025 presidential election.At the time, Ben Sulayem, who is 64, argued that this would "enhance governance and accountability within the organisation".The FIA added that the move to introduce an age limit "reflected the FIA's commitment to maintaining high standards in its leadership and governance structures".The FIA has been contacted for comment on the change of stance but has not provided a response.Ben Sulayem's move comes in the context of a European Parliament resolution passed in October 2025 on "the role of EU policies in shaping the European Sport Model", external.This includes a clause that "recognises that the autonomy of sport is conditional upon good governance, and calls on international, European, and national sports organisations, as well as stakeholder-representative organisations, to implement the highest standards of governance, integrity and transparency, with appropriate checks and balances to ensure accountability". A consultation on the topic, external, launched in April 2026, is due to report by the end of this year. The EU's aim is to "tackle the major challenges facing the sport sector. These include financial sustainability and inequalities, governance issues, volunteering decline and inclusion. The goal is to address these challenges through coordinated action at European level."The FIA age limit was raised to 75 in 2024 on the basis that it was "modernising the governance of the FIA and ensuring that candidates for the presidency are more aligned with current leadership practices".Age limits for leaders are not universally common in sports governing bodies. Some implement them to promote renewal, others choose not to, allowing the widest breadth of candidates.Ben Sulayem was first elected FIA president in 2021 and was re-elected unopposed last December as a consequence of a quirk of the FIA statutes preventing any other candidate from standing.Three people who wanted to oppose him - including former racing driver Laura Villars and ex-FIA steward Tim Mayer - were blocked from doing so.Villars is currently engaged in a legal action against Ben Sulayem and the FIA in France challenging its electoral process.Ben Sulayem's presidency has been marked by a series of controversies on the issues of governance and transparency.In addition to the removal of term limits, he has introduced statutes reducing accountability and concentrating power in his hands.And he has fired a series of senior officers who questioned aspects to do with his leadership, including:the former chief executive officer Natalie Robyn who raised questions about the general governance of the FIA the head of the audit committee Bertrand Badre, a former head of the World Bank, and the compliance officer who investigated and cleared Ben Sulayem on charges of interfering with two separate aspects of F1 operations Ben Sulayem's first vice-president for sport, Robert Reid, resigned in April 2025 citing "a fundamental breakdown in governance standards within" the FIA.At the General Assembly, to be held in Shanghai, Ben Sulayem faces a request by the Ukraine Automobile Federation (FAU) to include on the agenda the issue of violations of the FIA statutes and international sporting code by the Russian Automobile Federation (RAF).The RAF has opened regional branches in four cities recognised as sovereign areas of Ukraine by the United Nations. The FAU has already asked the FIA to look into the issue through its court of appeal but has received no response.The FAU is asking the FIA to suspend the RAF's membership of the international body until it closes all its offices in Ukraine and suspends all activity there.FAU president Oleksander Feldman said: "Our proposal is fully consistent with the position of the International Olympic Committee regarding the conditions for the participation of Russian athletes in competitions."Indeed, such participation became possible specifically on the basis of guarantees provided by the Russian Olympic Committee that it would not conduct activities on the sovereign territory of Ukraine."