To Stop Professional Sportsmen from Acting as Surrogate Smokers Authorities Request Action from BCCI

To prevent surrogate advertisements of tobacco and alcohol by sportspersons, the Union Health Ministry has urged the BCCI and the Sports Authority of India to take measures, saying they are role models for millions of youth not only in the country but across the world. On Thursday, in a letter to the Board of Control for Cricket in India President Roger Binny and DG of SAI Sandip Pradhan, Director General of Health Services Dr.AtulGoel said that sportspersons, especially cricketers, are role models for youngsters for promoting a healthy, active, and productive lifestyle.

Policies, plans, and directives for advancing cricket (and its governance), including consideration for Indian players and cricket enthusiasts, Goel said, "are placed in the BCCI's care. When well-known celebrities and cricket players appear in stand-in ads for tobacco and/or alcohol-related items during cricket tournaments like the Indian Premier League, it is depressing. With a thoughtful approach to the matter, the BCCI may take proactive steps to stop these sportsmen from acting as proxies for tobacco and/or alcohol-related product promotions, he stated.

The DGHS suggested measures such as signing an anti-tobacco ‘Declaration of Interest’ form, not promoting or advertising in stadiums or events hosted or partnered by BCCI, and issuing directive(s) to sportspersons under BCCI’s ambit to refrain from surrogate promotion, partnership, or advertisement of tobacco and related products.



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