Russian karting champion Artem Severiukhin has broken his silence after appearing to display the Nazi salute on the podium at the European Karting Championships. Severiukhin proved victorious in the 11-15 race in Portugal but then shocked sports fans around the world during the podium presentation.
The 15-year-old beat his chest before opening the palm of his hand and stretching his arm out. The teenager has apologised for his "stupid" actions, but insisted he does not support Nazism.
After appearing to wipe tears away from his face, he said: “I would like to apologise for what happened yesterday at the European Karting Championship. Standing on the podium, I depicted a gesture that many perceived as a Nazi greeting. But that’s not true – I have never supported Nazism and consider it one of the most terrible crimes against humanity.”
Speaking about gesture Severiukhin went on to describe himself as stupid’: “I can’t explain how everything else happened. I know it’s my fault, I know I’m stupid, and I’m ready to be punished. But please understand that I did not support Nazism or fascism with this gesture.”
The 15-year-old has been sacked by Swedish team Ward Racing, as the team said Severiukhin's actions do not represent the ‘views and values’ of the team. In a statement they said: “The actions of Artem Severiukhin during the award ceremony on 10 April 2022 were exclusively individual and do not represent the views and values of Ward Racing in any manner.
“On the contrary, Ward Racing stands with the international community condemning Russia ’s invasion of Ukraine and expresses its solidarity with the people suffering because of this unprovoked and horrific attack. On the basis of these considerations, Ward Racing sees no possibility for continued cooperation with Artem Severiukhin and will proceed with terminating his racing contract.”
Severiukhin is now under investigation from the sport’s governing body the FIA, who described the youngster's podium actions as ‘unacceptable misconduct’ in a statement. “The Federation Internationale de l’Automobile confirmed that it has launched an immediate investigation,” the statement confirmed.
“Into the unacceptable conduct of Mr Artem Severiukhin that occurred during the podium ceremony for the OK category at Round 1 of the 2022 FIA Karting European Championship at the Kartodromo Internacional do Algarve in Portugal. The FIA will communicate shortly on the further steps that will be taken in this case.”
