Sport puffs draw fire

Press, Issue 33845, 17 May 1975, Page 3

Sport puffs draw fire

(N Z. Press Association) WELLINGTON, May 16. Leading sports personalities who drive cars carrying cigarette advertisements are “just not playing the game,” according to the executive officer of the Wellington division of the Cancer Society (Mr A. A. Glover). The society, he said, strongly disapproved of tobacco companies giving sports personalities a brightly painted car covered with cigarette brand-names for personal use — “especially when they use these caiu to drive to schools to offer their services in assisting with the physical and sporting training of young people. “You could hardly miss what they drive up or leave in,” Mr Glover said. “Whether they smoke cigarettes or not is im-

material. The implication is clearly there that not only do they condone smoking, but, in fact, advocate it. “I believe this practice is particularly damaging with many young people who idolisee the sporting stars we have today, and will often go to great lengths to emulate them,” he said.

"I realise that the personalities are not expected to promote the product in any way except give a few free cigarettes to adults from time to time — but the inference is still clearly there. “Schoolchildren are largely non-smokers, but they also represent the great bulk of the potential market.

“It’s just an extension of the old American idea of ‘Get ’em while they’re young’,” Mr Glover said.