FIA to consider scrapping leadership age limits at December assembly

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem is seeking to remove age restrictions on office holders, with a proposal due before the governing body's General Assembly in Shanghai next month, BBC Sport reported. The change has not been approved. Current statutes prevent people older than 75 from standing as part of a presidential team.

According to the BBC, which has seen the proposal, its rationale is that an age ceiling can exclude candidates whose knowledge and experience would benefit the organisation. The federation had not responded to the broadcaster's request for comment on the proposed change when its report was published.

The proposal would reverse a restriction introduced during Ben Sulayem's first term. An initial ceiling of 70 was adopted in 2023 and raised to 75 the following year. Ben Sulayem, 64, was first elected in 2021 and returned unopposed in December 2025, the BBC reported. Removing the ceiling would require another change to the federation's rules.

The age proposal follows the abolition of the presidency's limit of three four-year terms. In its earlier coverage of that decision, BBC Sport reported that member clubs approved the change at a General Assembly in Macau. Sources gave the vote as 90.71% in favour; the FIA confirmed approval by a supermajority without explicitly confirming that figure. The decision permits a presidency lasting beyond 12 years.

Other amendments approved in Macau changed the requirements facing presidential challengers. Candidates must demonstrate sufficient experience within an FIA member organisation or body, while the deadline for submitting their proposed vice-presidential team moved from 49 to 100 days before an election. The FIA said its term-limit changes brought consistency across its bodies and that those bodies retained the authority to elect office holders.

Separately, sports governance remains part of a broader European policy discussion. The European Commission says consultations on its strategic vision for sport identified integrity and governance standards as priorities, alongside financial sustainability and sport's social role. It plans to publish its strategic document by the end of 2026, drawing on contributions from federations, athletes, fans and other stakeholders.