The war in Ukraine is shaking the world, and of course it also has an impact on racing. As here in the example of France. France Galop has a two-pronged strategy to ensure that any racehorse owners or their partners linked to the sanctions against Russia have no place in racing.
The world of sport is seen as a major front to isolate those with links to Vladimir Putin`s regime, while the European Union, Britain and other Western governments have imposed heavy economic sanctions.
France Galop director Henri Pouret said France Galop was supporting judicial investigations into Russian nationals with assets in France. Pouret confirmed that no link had yet emerged between French racing and money belonging to Russian oligarchs, but stressed that the authorities would act quickly if anything came to light.
"Things can change quickly, but so far no objections have been raised," he said. "We have experience of this, for example with certain owners in the North African region during the Arab Spring in 2011, and if anyone was identified, their France Galop account would be frozen."
A list of all Russian nationals who have an ownership contract in France has been forwarded to the Police des Jeux and the Interior Ministry for further investigation.
If an owner`s assets were frozen, France Galop would ensure that no racing professional would go away empty-handed and that the proceeds of a horse possibly sold by a trainer would not be returned to a sanctioned person.
