MotoGP India: Distorted Indian map aired during live broadcast, organisers apologise, FMSCI reacts

Greater Noida, Sep 22: The MotoGP made its India debut amid a lot of euphoria and fandom but the opening day on Friday (September 22), which started with the practice session had a significant controversy attached to it.

During the initial broadcast of the practice session, MotoGP - which is being called IndianOil Indian Grand Prix - showed a distorted map of India, leaving many irked on social media.

The regions of the Indian territory - Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh - were missing from the map which was unintentionally shown during the broadcast of the practice laps.

The blunder from MotoGP - which is the elite two-wheeler racing event in the world - was quickly pointed out by perceptive social media users. Having been caught in the controversy, MotoGP's official account, promptly issued an apology for the oversight.

In their apology statement, the MotoGP organisers expressed their regret over the mistaken broadcast, stressing that it was unintentional and they have great appreciation for their host nation.

Apologising over the gaffe, MotoGP wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, "We'd like to apologise to our fans in India for the map shown earlier a part of the MotoGP broadcast. It is never our intent to make any statement other than that of support and appreciation for our host country."

"We're excited to be able to enjoy the IndianOil Grand Prix of India with you and we're with you and we're loving our first taste of Buddh International Circuit," MotoGP added further.

Meanwhile, the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) president, Akbar Ebrahim, who was present in the race control room when the blunder was noticed, termed the incident 'highly regrettable'.

Following the fallout, he urged all motorsports affiliates to be extremely diligent and correct in the display of the Indian Map and Indian Tricolor to prevent any future incidents.

Practice was on at the Buddha International Circuit in Greater Noida on Friday for all classes - Moto 2, Moto 3, and MotoGP, with qualifying set for Saturday and main races on Sunday.

MotoGP's inaugural event holds immense importance for India as it ventures into the world of motorsports event management on a grand scale. This is the first significant motorsport event that India is hosting since the 2013 Formula 1 Indian Grand Prix, which was removed from the calendar due to financial, taxation and bureaucratic issues.

Dorna and Fairstreet have inked a seven-year MoU for the MotoGP race in India. The race's success is crucial for the organisers since India is the world's largest two-wheeler market. The state government in UP has thrown its full support for the event, critical for the long-term future of the race. The Uttar Pradesh government has released a fund of Rs 8 crore for the MotoGP event, confirming its commitment.