XN000022-1995-03-01 — Page 72

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The major public arts/sports bodies such as the Sports Development Board, the Urban Council, the Hong Kong Arts Development Council and the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts do not seek or accept sponsorship of their activities from tobacco companies. The policy of the Regional Council is that "sponsorship may be accepted from companies whose line of business may include tobacco, provided that no tobacco advertising is made in any related publicity".

We do not monitor the sponsorship of non-government arts and sports activities by the tobacco industry and are therefore not in a position to provide figures regarding the total amount of such sponsorship. However, we are aware that the tobacco industry provided sponsorships amounting to some $28 million for nine major arts/sports events in 1994-95, some $20 million for nine major arts/sports events in 1993-94 and some $11.3 million for ten major arts/sports events in 1992-93.

Government has put much effort into dissuading young people from smoking. Our overall anti-smoking strategy comprises legislation, public education as well as publicity. This strategy advises young people not to smoke and informs them of the hazards of smoking. At the same time, it aims to minimise the community's exposure to tobacco advertising so that young people will not be encouraged to associate themselves with smoking.

Although tobacco sponsorship cannot be identified as the single cause of smoking among children, overseas and local circumstantial evidence suggests that it plays an important role. Some overseas countries e.g. Australia and New Zealand have banned tobacco sponsorship for sports and cultural events and set up a health promotion fund to provide alternative funding to sustain them. We are studying the experience of overseas countries and the applicability of this concept to Hong Kong.

End/Wednesday, March 1, 1995