Sir, – Just four months after the National Substance Misuse Strategy for Alcohol recommended a ban on alcohol sponsorship for sporting events by 2016, in the last fortnight we have seen the Bavaria City Racing event on Dublin’s streets and the announcement of Heineken as a sponsor of this year’s Irish Open golf championship. Ministers appear to agree on the principle of a ban on alcohol sponsorship of sporting events, but differ on a timeframe.
Why should the Government not prohibit the alcohol industry, immediately, from creating any new commercial relationships with sporting events or organisations? The fate of existing sponsorship deals could be sorted out across the Cabinet table, but our sporting bodies would realise that their days of relying on the alcohol sector for funding were coming to an end. – Yours, etc,