Version:

Date: Friday 30, 2009

Category: Online resource


Language: English


Organisation: The Union (IUATLD)


Keywords: tobacco free health policy sports venues

Tobacco-free Futures Action Guides: Tobacco-free Sports

Tobacco has no place in sport as it is the world’s leading killer, causing five million deaths each year. As tobacco use also impairs physical performance, there are undeniable health and moral reasons for workplaces and public places to be safe and free from harm caused by tobacco use and secondhand smoke (SHS).

There is a strong and growing Olympic legacy for all types of sports venues to provide tobacco-free and healthy environments for athletes as well as families and children.

A ‘best practice’ policy is recommended as it is the most efficient (least amount of effort) and effective (best results) way of achieving an outcome based on repeatable procedures that have proven themselves over time for large numbers of people.

A tobacco-free policy is defined in the Guide as including smokefree environments as well as environments that are free of all forms of tobacco advertising, promotion, sponsorship and sale.

As most countries are in the early stages of developing smokefree laws, many indoor and outdoor sports venues have not yet implemented effective and enforceable policies to protect their populations from the known harm caused by tobacco use. While there are some good examples of tobacco-free policies in place, not all are comprehensive or equal to best practice.

The Guide outlines in three steps how to develop, implement and support a comprehensive tobacco-free policy including:
• Improving the health of staff, players, members and their families by ending exposure to tobacco use and smoke in sports venues.
• Ending all forms of tobacco advertising, promotion, sponsorship and sale.
• Using ready made resources such as the sample policy, internationally recognised signage, a case study and links to tobacco-free sports resources.

The Guide has great potential to assist sports authorities and managers in improving the health and performances of staff, players, members and their families.