World Cup attacked for failing to ban smoking

Organisers of this year's World Cup have come under fire for backing down on an apparent pledge to ban smoking at the event, which starts this week in Germany.

Figure 1.

Fans will be allowed to smoke in the Berlin stadium (above), where the tournament's final takes place, despite an agreement between WHO and FIFA which says that “tobacco and sports do not mix”

Credit: DAN SPARHAM/REX

Smoking was banned in the stadiums at the last World Cup in Japan and South Korea, and is expected to be similarly banned at the 2010 tournament in South Africa. But the German organising committee for this year's competition, including the German government and the football governing body FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) have decided not to impose the ban this time round.

The World Health Professions Alliance has now sent an open letter to FIFA and has reminded them of a memorandum of cooperation signed by the World Health Organization and FIFA before the 2002 World Cup. It stated that “tobacco and sports do not mix and that tobacco in any form must be removed from all football events associated with FIFA.”

The German World Cup organising committee in Germany was unavailable for official comment on the issue when contacted by the BMJ, but one member did admit that the issue of a smoking ban was regarded with more ambivalence in Germany than it was in other European countries.

Although smoking related illnesses cost Germany almost $15bn (£8bn; €12bn) a year, Germany has faced criticism in the past for opposing an international ban on tobacco advertisements, and there is still no sign of antismoking legislation similar to that being passed in other countries.

The only sop to the antismoking lobby during the tournament will be the broadcasting of a message on video screens and public announcement systems in stadiums, saying “No smoking, please.” But critics say that the voluntary message will do nothing to get people to stop smoking.

Marta Seoane, a spokeswoman for WHO's antismoking campaign, said, “We know that voluntary tobacco control agreements don't work.

“Smoking and tobacco bans have to be introduced to reduce consumption. The point is to protect public health—the health of viewers in the stadiums and that of people, adults and children, who follow the games on television.”

Sinead Jones, director of the International Union Against Cancer's global smoke-free partnership, said, “The whole thing is really inconsistent. They are saying to fans, `Don't smoke,' but on the other hand there will be absolutely no enforcement there.”

The World Cup has the biggest global television audience of any sports competition, with billions of people around the world tuning into the month of matches.

But the country has relatively liberal legislation on smoking compared with other European Union countries.