CSPI launches resolution against alcohol link to the World Cup
The American Center for Science in the Public Interest has launched a global resolution to end the promotion of alcoholic beverages in World Cup events. The resolution focuses on the World Cup but is intended to highlight the inappropriate use of sports in general to market alcoholic beverages, especially to audiences that include millions of impressionable young people.
The resolution calls on FIFA, the World Cup governing body, to examine the role of alcohol in its games and to adopt policies that would minimise and eventually eliminate alcohol promotion and advertising from future World Cup competition.
CSPI is seeking the endorsement of concerned public health and safety activists and encouraging them to send the resolution to relevant organisations and individuals – health, sports, consumer rights, youth and other organisations concerned about alcohol marketing.
Global Resolution to End Alcohol
Promotion in World Cup Events
Whereas sports play a central role in the development of health, physical fitness and teamwork; in the values of competition, fair play and crosscultural exchange for young people worldwide; and millions of youth get socialization cues from sports;
Whereas tens of millions of people worldwide, including millions of young people, have an intenseinterest in international sports competition, including the WorldCup, Olympics, and other events, and follow the games closely in person and on television or radio,identifying with the games’ athletes and teams and idolizing their teams’heroes;
Whereas millions of fans in stadia view World Cup contests, and, in 2002, a cumulative audience of morethan 28 billion people in 213countries watched more than 41,000 hours of television coverage,including more than 1 billion viewers who watched the final match;
Whereas alcohol marketers have used international athletic competition as a means to cue young people to beer and drinking, and beer sponsorship and television ads distort the positive, youth development values of sports;
Whereas mounting evidence around the world shows that exposure to television advertising for alcoholic beverages increases the likelihood that children will drink and consume more heavily;
Whereas The World Health Report 2002 determined that 4% of the burden of disease and 3.2% of all deaths globally were attributed to alcohol, and that alcohol was the foremost risk to health in low mortality developing countries and the third in developed countries;
Whereas the 58th World Health Assembly resolved that harmful drinking is among the foremost underlying causes of disease, injury, domestic violence against women and children, disability, social problems and premature deaths; is associated with mental ill-health; has a serious impact on human welfare affecting individuals, families, communities and society as a whole; and contributes to health inequities;
Whereas FIFA, the organizer of the World Cup, “acknowledges the prominent role of sports, and especially football, as a vehicle for delivering clear and firm messages to eradicate blights undermining society around the world;”
Whereas FIFA “has set up strategic alliances with international organizations that have long established aims, such as UNICEF, WHO, ILO, UNHCR, SOS Children’s Villages, and others, to link the power of football with the experience and ability of those who … are striving to make a better world” and states that better health for children is one of its priorities;
Whereas FIFA has “become aware of the wider impact that promoting health issues can have on the everyday lives of people throughout the world” and points to its elimination in 1986 of tobacco advertising in all its tournaments;
Therefore, the undersigned organizations, representing countries, call on FIFA and future World Cup host countries to:
- Examine the role of alcohol sponsorship, venue signage, and television advertising of alcoholic beverages in the World Cup for consistency with the values of sport, health, and fair play represented by international sports competition; and
- Adopt clear policies about the promotion and advertising of alcohol that are designed to minimize and eventually eliminate their presence from World Cup games.
SIGNED: ------------------------------------------
We invite endorsements of concerned organizations and
government officials. Please return your endorsement with the following information by June 6:
Organization:
Authorized Signer:
Address:
Email:
Phone:
Fax:
Website:
Return by email to:
jhedlund@cspinet.org
Jay Hedlund
Manager,
Campaign for Alcohol - Free Sports TV,
Center for Science in the Public Interest,
1875 Connecticut Avenue NW #300
Washington, DC 20016 USA
Phone: 1-202-777-8322
Fax: 1-202-265-4954