www.alkoholpolitik.ch

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.

Alcohol sponsorship should be banned for sports and cultural events in Wales in order to help cut the boozy culture, according to an alcohol awareness charity.
Alcohol Concern Cymru has said that the marketing on view at such events is distorting the public’s view of how “safe” drinking is. However, the Portman group, the representative for drinks manufacturers, commented that there was little proof to show that advertising bans worked. It claimed that it is more effective to promote responsible drinking rather and encourage people to drink sensibly….(Source: Google Alcohol News, 02/13/11) carrentals.co.uk, 02/13/11 our Online-Comment: It is proofed by many studies that alcohol ads do influence youth drinking. It is also clear that the alcohol industry always is in favour of prevention measures which do not reduce their profits. Alcohol sponsoring should be banned.

Marin Institute awarded five young people prizes for their entertaining counter-beer ads at the Free The Bowl World Premiere 2011. The national competition drew 63 entries from 10 different states that all shared the same core message: seductive alcohol ads shown during TV sporting events, and especially during the Super Bowl, are inappropriate for millions of vulnerable young viewers. The first place entry, Ads for Kids, was produced by 17-year old Rami Al-odaini of San Rafael, California. The second place prize went to 14-year old Jaspen Lowen of Wheaton, IL for his video “Token of Lies.” Three third-place prizes were awarded to Oscar Chan, 20, of San Francisco; Thong Lor, 14, of Westville, Oklahoma; and Lewis Kloster, 16, of Minneapolis, Minnesota. To view all 63 entries, visit FreeTheBowl.com

A North Dakota legislative proposal to ban alcohol at collegiate sporting events was killed in committee, the Grand Forks Herald reported Jan. 19.
House Bill 1212 was introduced by Rep. Chuck Damschen (R-Hampden). It would have prohibited alcohol sales and possession at athletic events where minors were present, even at venues not owned by colleges or universities. The bill would also have covered tailgate parties in parking lots.
The House Education Committee voted overwhelmingly against putting the bill to a full vote on the grounds that the universities were policing the issue well on their own. (Source: Join Together, 02/04/11)

Aims: To examine the relationship between direct alcohol and non-alcohol sponsorship and drinking in Australian sportspeople. Methods: Australian sportspeople (N = 652; 51% female) completed questionnaires on alcohol and non-alcohol industry sponsorship (from bars, cafes etc.), drinking behaviour (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT)) and known confounders. Results: … Multivariate regression showed that receipt of alcohol industry sponsorship was predictive of higher AUDIT scores …Conclusion: Governments should consider alternatives to alcohol industry sponsorship of sport. Hypothecated taxes on tobacco have been used successfully for replacing tobacco sponsorship of sport in some countries, and may show equal utility for the alcohol industry’s funding of sport. (Source: Alcohol Reports, 01/31/11) alcalc.oxfordjournals.org, 01/31/11

A bill introduced in North Dakota would ban alcohol use and possession at college sports events where minors are present, the Associated Press reported Jan. 14.
Rep. Chuck Damschen (R-Hampden) of the N.D. House of Representatives put the proposal forward to cut down on underage drinking. If the bill passed, alcohol would be prohibited in stadiums, arenas, and at tailgate parties where minors are present. (Source: Join Together, 01/28/11)

Teachers and middle- and high-school students: here’s your chance to “Get in the Game” by participating in this informal national survey that will help measure the impact of alcohol advertising from the Super Bowl.
The Drug-Free Action Alliance of Ohio is calling for young people from across the country to participate in the “Big Bowl Vote 2011″ on Feb. 7, the day after the Super Bowl. The survey is intended to gauge which commercials the students remember and prefer — and to help students more-thoughtfully evaluate alcohol advertising. (Source: Join Together, 01/24/11)

First Study To Measure Blood Alcohol Levels After Games Finds 8 Percent Of Fans Legally Drunk After Attending Professional Sports Games.
It’s no secret that there is a lot of alcohol consumed by fans at sporting events, …A new study published online in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research (ACER) finds that BAC levels can be measured using a breath tester on fans as they exit football and baseball events. And the results show that 60% of the fans had zero BAC, 40% had a positive BAC, and nearly 8% were legally drunk. (Source: Medical News Today, 01/19/11)