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)