An Oireachtas Committee has said that the sponsorship of sports events by alcohol companies should not be banned.

According to a report by the Joint Committee on Transport and Communications, while some committee members were ‘firmly of the view' that sponsorship should be phased out by 2016, ‘the majority held the view that the link between sponsorship and the misuse of alcohol in society had not been established'.

"For this and other reasons, the Committee feels that banning sponsorship of sports by the alcohol industry is not merited at this time," it stated.

The Committee had been examining this issue since early March after it became aware that the Government was considering the recommendations contained in the Steering Group Report on a National Substance Misuse Strategy. One of these recommendations was the phasing out of drinks industry sponsorship of sports and other large public events in this country by 2016.

Over the course of three meetings in March and April, the Committee met with a number of relevant organisations, including the GAA, the FAI, the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland and the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland.

The report stated that while it was clear to the Committee that sporting organisations were all aware of the dangers of alcohol misuse and were supportive of measures to tackle these problems, they also emphasised the importance of sponsorship by the alcohol industry.

"All organisations were firmly of the view that if such sponsorship was discontinued, it would be difficult to find replacement sponsors in the present economic climate. It was also stated that without such sponsorship, organisations would find it extremely difficult to host major sports events in this country, from rugby to horse racing, which would, in turn, impact negatively on tourism revenue," the Committee noted.

It pointed out that the medical professionals it consulted painted a ‘stark picture of the debilitating and often life-threatening effects' of alcohol misuse. These professionals argued that the link between alcohol and sport ‘should be severed'.

In response to this, the Committee said that it accepts that binge drinking, and alcohol misuse in general, is a major problem, particularly among younger people. To this end, it ‘strongly supports' measures to tackle this, such as reducing the availability of low-cost alcohol products.

However, it noted that it was only examining this issue from the perspective of sponsorship.

It acknowledged the difficulty sporting organisations would have in finding replacement sponsors in the current economic climate. It also pointed out that funds raised through sponsorship are not simply used ‘to pay exorbitant salaries, such as those paid to Premier League footballers in England'.

"The Committee would fully support a phasing out of drinks sponsorship. However, the Committee learned that much of the sponsorship received is used by the sporting bodies to promote and increase participation rates," the report stated.

The Committee said that it was very impressed by the GAA‘s Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention Programme (ASAP), an initiative which was supported by the HSE ‘and one which might form the template for programmes which, we believe, should be considered by the other sporting bodies'.

The report also highlighted the issue of ‘the international aspect of telecommunications', whereby people can access sporting events on their TVs and mobile devices.

"The availability of television and radio stations from our neighbouring island militates against the enactment of such a prohibition and points to other difficulties in its implementation. Acting unilaterally, Ireland would be at a significant competitive disadvantage to its international competitors," the report stated.

It also noted that the internet ‘does not recognise international borders'.

"The Committee believes that, in order to be effective, any prohibition would have to be implemented at European Union level," it said,

For these reasons, the Committee believes that a ban on alcohol sponsorship of sporting events ‘is not merited at this time'.

Responding to the report, Alcohol Action Ireland (AAI), the national charity for alcohol-related issues, said that it was disappointed with the Committee's view.

"Comprehensive studies have shown that children and young people are not only exposed to a large amount of alcohol advertising through sports sponsorship, but that their behaviour and beliefs are influenced by these positive messages about alcohol and its use, increasing the likelihood that they will start to drink and drink more if already using alcohol.

"Simply put, alcohol sponsorship of sport works in terms of increasing sales and, as a result, alcohol consumption. If it didn't, the alcohol industry simply would not be spending so much money on it," said Prof Joe Barry, a public health specialist and member of the AAI board.

He insisted that pairing a healthy activity, such as sport, with an unhealthy product, such as alcohol, ‘makes that product seem less unhealthy and more acceptable'.

"Around 60,000 teenagers start drinking in Ireland every year and it's these vulnerable young people who are most at risk, not just from alcohol consumption, but also from the sophisticated and powerful influence that alcohol advertising has on drinking behaviour and expectations," Prof Barry added.

For more information on AAI, click here