Anti-smoking drive no draw in sports
Anti-smoking drive no draw in sports
JAKARTA (JP): An anti-smoking campaign in connection with
sports events and art performances has turned out to be no easy
job, because the demand for sponsorship by cigarette makers is
still high.
A group of sports stars, anti-smoking campaigners and a
comedian said during a seminar yesterday that cigarette makers
are easy to approach for sponsorship of major events.
Non-smoking athletes and entertainers said they often felt
embarrassed to acknowledge that events they took part in were
sponsored by producers of "death sticks", but could do nothing
about it.
"I know that sports organizers find it difficult to get rid of
cigarette makers, even though everyone knows tobacco and athletes
should not mix," said Utut Adianto, an international chess
master.
So far, he said, most of the sponsors of chess competitions
here are cigarette makers. "We're lucky enough to get a sponsor,"
Utut said.
Organized by the Indonesian Heart Foundation (YJI), the
seminar was also attended by cardiologist Aulia Sani, lung
specialist Daniati K.S. Soewarta and Indonesian Women Against
Tobacco chairperson Tuti N. Roosdiono.
The one-day seminar was held in commemoration of the "World No
Tobacco Day", which falls on May 31.
Well-known comedian Darto Helem came out in support of Utut's
opinion.
He said cigarette makers have made countless numbers of art
performances possible. "Without their sponsorship, few shows can
go on," he added.
Meanwhile, Indonesia's well-known swimmer Elfira Rosa Nasution
said that she was often annoyed by cigarette smoke when in a
sports stadium.
"The Indonesian Swimming Federation shuns sponsorship by
cigarette makers, yet they can't forbid people from smoking in
the sports arena," she said.
YJI's chairperson L.A. Hanafiah said that cigarette makers
believed that sponsorship is an effective way of promoting the
cigarette producers' products to the public.
"After restrictions of direct advertising are imposed,
cigarette makers have been shifting their attention to indirect
promotion of their products, such as sponsoring sports and arts
events," Hanafiah said.
"Cigarette makers buy their way into the advertising market,
where they spend millions of dollars to make the public familiar
with the colors, logos and images of their brands," she said.
She urged the government to increase duties on tobacco as a
way to collect funds to finance sports events and arts
performances in the country as an alternative form of
sponsorship .
"If this effort is not undertaken, consumers -- especially
young people -- may be fooled into believing that cigarettes make
high achievers," Hanafiah said.(31)