Daily Mail, the teenager could have been performing the fascist Roman salute of Italy as he was competing under their flag. The far-right gesture has been illegal to perform in public there since 1952.However, many have taken it as a vulgar dig in relation to Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Since Vladimir Putin declared war on his neighbouring country on February 24, more than 19,500 civilians have been killed.Should Severiukhin be harshly dealt with by the FIA?
Let us know in the comments section.Kyiv Independent reporter Illia Ponomarenko posted a clip of the incident on Twitter, and was scathing over Severiukhin's actions: "I thought I have seen some ugly things, but this Russian under the Italian flag is something else," he wrote.He later added: "This man’s name is Anton Severiukhin, and he was getting decorated at the Europe Karting championship in Portugal.
He’s Russian, competing under the Italian flag." The FIA later confirmed it had "launched an immediate investigation into the unacceptable conduct that occurred during the podium ceremony," and pledged to "communicate shortly" on the next steps.Back in March, there was public anger when Russian gymnast Ivan Kuliak chose to stand on the podium with the 'Z' symbol attached to his chest at an Artistic Gymnastics World Cup event in Qatar.
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