Cricket deal brings bitter reaction

Press, 17 November 1976, Page 6

Cricket deal brings bitter reaction

Dr D. R. Hay, secretary’ of ■. scientific committee of • National Heart Foundax n, has expressed concern jut a tobacco company’s msoring cricket in this untry. On Monday’ evening it was mounced that New Zealand ricket would benefit by aore than $lOO,OOO in sponsorship from the Rothmans Sports Foundation over the next five years. Dr Hay said it was naive to believe that, as the chairman of the New Zealand) Cricket Council (Mr W. A.! Hadlee) had said, “the huge) deal will be used principally! for the promotion of the game.” Dr Hay quoted a comment made by the chairman and managing director of W. D. and H. O. Wills N.Z. Ltd (Mr G. G. H. Gilmour) in a June, 1975. issue of the magazine “Management.” Mr Gilmour had said: ) “Only a fool would expect anyone to believe that the assistance we give to cultural and sporting activities is soley charitable. Of course) we look for reciprocal bene-1 fits in terms of our image!

Land. in consequence, our f business.” - 1 The latest deal by Roth--11 mans was aimed principally s|at getting free television and >inewsprint advertising and to defeat any restrictions, posilsibly on tobacco advertising Land promotion, which might 7 ibe introduced by the Govem- • ment within the next five ; I years, said Dr Hay : ' A voluntary agreement with the tobacco industry ! was overdue for renewal and ■ Rothmans was ensuring that 1 its promotional activities . were not going to be inhibi■!ted when negotiations re•lsumed, he said. Dr Hay said the voluntary ) agreement which was enforced for three years and . ran out last April included restricted tobacco advertising • in cinemas, limited size of tobacco advertisements in newspapers, and a continuaItion of the ban on tobacco j advertising on television. Dr Hay said he had also observed that it was hoped to convince parents that cricket was a suitable game for their children. “This is highly commend-! iable in principal but surely!

tithe sports adnumstratot 'can see that this is s.mp? -i Rothmans way of getting it ,’jname before the youn, ilpeopie who will shortly h ) a major market for the in -;dustry. 51 "What hope have healt •'educators to influenc • ichildren against Hnoknty ’ when our society as a whole .and our sports admimstra : tors in particular, are quit) ■ prepared to accept that mos I of our national sports <ai be identified with tobacco, 1 ; he said. Smoking would never b controlled until it became at unacceptable form of be haviour. This sort of proma tion and sponsorship did tus the opposite, said Dr Hao Sports administrators shou'i question the morality of tht decision as with others the; had to make Nearly three people wen dying every day in New Zea land from lung cancer ai well as a similar numbe from heart and othet smoking-related diseases, hi said. This was on the debi side of the balance-sheet :which New Zealand's sport: Headers should examine.