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Press Release IOGT-International, 01/21/12
Fifa, football’s world governing body, keeps insisting that alcohol must be sold at all venues hosting matches in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Fifa even speaks of a right to sell beer. But alcohol is currently banned from Brazilian stadiums as part of measures to reduce violence in football and to improve public health in general. The country’s health minister has urged Congress to maintain the ban in the new “World Cup law”.

But Fifa is not willing to accept these arguments and Secretary-General Jerome Valcke says: “Alcoholic drinks are part of the Fifa World Cup, so we’re going to have them. Excuse me if I sound a bit arrogant but that’s something we won’t negotiate.”

“No, we do not excuse your arrogance,” says Mr. Sven-Olov Carlsson, President of IOGT International, “and we cannot accept that Fifa is willing to jeopardize the fun of the game, the safety of children and families and the positive social development in Brazilian society.”
“We suggest Fifa to take a good, hard look at its own Corporate Social Responsibility because words should be followed by deeds,” urges Mr. Carlsson.

Fifa writes on its webpage: “Ensuring that the game of football reflects the highest values of society is essential to Fifa. Through its regulations and actions on and off the pitch, Fifa fights negative influences on the game and ensures that the fundamental values are respected.”

A WHO study carried out in (among others) Brazil, showed that about 46% of violence-related cases included alcohol use. The study also demonstrated that violence related injuries increase with alcohol use. Global evidence shows that alcohol marketing, like sports sponsorship, causes earlier onset of alcohol use among youth and heavier alcohol use for those already consuming. All over the world, alcohol is an obstacle for development and human dignity. It is the socially the most harmful drug.

“That’s why IOGT International strongly supports the Brazilian Health Minister and calls on the Brazilian Parliament to keep football stadiums free from alcohol,” says Mr. Carlsson and continues:
“Football is about creativity and freedom. Alcohol is not. So, why does Fifa force them together and knowingly accept that people will suffer? For the profit? We demand from Fifa to take its own words seriously and put people before profit. Let’s set football free.”

Strenuous exercise significantly increases the incidence of upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) caused by transient immune dysfunction. Naturally occurring polyphenolic compounds present in food such as non-alcoholic beer (NAB) have strong anti-oxidant, anti-pathogenic, and anti-inflammatory properties.
To determine whether the ingestion of non-alcoholic beer polyphenols for three weeks prior to the Munich Marathon would attenuate post-race inflammation and decrease URTI incidence. … (Source: Alcohol Reports, 08/25/11) Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercice, May 2011 Volume 43

Drugs, alcohol and gambling are all vices that have ruined the lives of athletes. Even the greatest and most talented players in the world have succumbed to these vices, which inhibit their ability to play and drain them financially.
The vices may be different, but the outcome is generally the same: Athletes that get caught up in these worlds ruin their careers and never live up to their potential.
Here are the athletes that had their playing and coaching days cut short and ruined perfectly good careers. … (Source: Join Together, 08/12/11) bleacherreport.com, 08/8/11

Drinking and engaging in water sports can be a deadly mix, warns the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Half of all water recreation-related deaths of teens and adults involve alcohol, the NIAAA says.
HealthDay reports that the institute is warning against a number of dangerous scenarios as the weather heats up and more people take to the water. For example, swimmers who drink alcohol may have impaired judgment, and swim out farther than they should. Drunk swimmers in a pool can jump into too-shallow water, or crash into the diving board. Surfers who have been drinking may try to ride a wave that is too difficult for them to handle. Drinking and boating is an especially dangerous combination. The NIAAA says that alcohol may be involved in up to 60 percent of boating deaths. … (Source: Join Together, 07/12/11)

The government is forging ahead with legislation that will crack down on alcohol advertising despite warnings of massive revenue and job losses.
According to a preliminary study by Chris Moerdyk, an independent marketing analyst, a total ban on the advertising of alcoholic beverages could cost media companies revenue of as much as R1.8-billion a year. …
About R800-million would be lost to sports sponsorships and development grants, and forfeited marketing expenditure.
Though the government does not plan to ban alcohol advertising outright, several state departments are determined to win the war on alcohol and drug abuse and have spearheaded a campaign that will enforce stringent restrictions on alcohol advertising. (Source: Google Alcohol News, 07/07/11) timeslive.co.za, 07/5/11

News from Sweden, Finland, USA, Australia, UK, Germany, Taiwan, India and some studies. (Source: Alcohol Reports, 5/23/11)

Minnesota lawmakers are coping with their three-year hangover: Whether to allow beer and alcohol sales at the University of Minnesota’s on-campus football stadium.
The latest bill leaves the matter entirely up to the school’s Board of Regents after previous legislative efforts to fashion a compromise left the stadium dry. The Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee advanced the bill Wednesday, but it has a ways to go. … (Source: Google Alcohol News, 04/07/11) kstp.com, 04/06/11

Friday night, 1st April, in St. Pauli district, Hamburg a football match of the highest German league (Bundesliga) was abandoned. The reason: the assistant referee was hit in the back of his head by a plastic cup full of beer thrown at him from the stands . The match had to be broken off and the referees had to be guided from the pitch by guards.
“Not many in Europe might have paid attention to this incident”, says Andrea Lavesson, President of Active – sobriety, friendship and peace. “But we think that the dramatic incident from Friday night stands a symbol for the fact that alcohol and sport does not belong together at all.”
The act of violence occurred shortly after an official hearing in the European Parliament organized by the EPP group on 30th March. By this hearing the EPP group aimed at stressing “the importance of sports. The […] Hearing on Sport […] is a very important step in bringing new ideas and suggestions…” Commissioner Mrs Androulla Vassiliou, among others, expressed the strong role that sport plays in promoting active citizenship. … (Source: active presscontact, 04/04/11)

The first Great Russian River Race will be wet in more ways than one, now that Healdsburg City Council members have overcome their qualms about allowing alcohol at the event.
The City Council Monday voted unanimously to let beer and wine be served at the May 7 after-race party, overcoming a decades-old prohibition on alcohol at Veterans Memorial Beach park.
Council members said they were swayed by the precautions and security measures proposed by the Russian Riverkeeper, the conservation group staging the race and party. (Source: Google Alcohol News, 03/23/11) healdsburg.towns.pressdemocrat.com, 03/22/11

It may seem like binge drinking is just a fact of college life, but a number of institutions of higher-education are proving otherwise. Survey data show notable drops in student binge drinking at several colleges and universities, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported Feb. 16. For example:
* Alcohol-related violations dropped 3.7 percent at North Dakota State University in Fargo, N.D. over two years.
* Between 2007 and 2009, “problem drinking” fell 12 percent at the University of Pittsburgh.
* The number of Purdue students who engaged in binge drinking sank from 48 percent in 2006 to 37.3 percent in 2009.
* Frostburg State University in Maryland saw binge drinking plummet 27% over the past decade. … (Source: Join Together, 03/07/11) with our Online-Comment: It is always better to invest in prevention instead of paying for negative results. If the alcohol free offers are a success, other students will try too.