Russian Lawmaker Calls For Stadium Alcohol Ban To Be Lifted Ahead Of 2018 World Cup

A leading lawmaker in Russia "has called on the ban on selling beer at sporting events to be lifted ahead of the country hosting the football World Cup in 2018, echoing a similar earlier appeal by President Vladimir Putin," according to RIA NOVOSTI. Igor Rudensky, who heads the Committee on Economic Policy, Innovation & Entrepreneurship in the State Duma, said that "allowing the sale of beer in stadiums would be in tune with widely accepted international practice." The ban "could potentially be lifted as early as this year." Rudensky said that "while the prohibition of beer could be reconsidered, spirits should remain banned and that fans needed to develop a more responsible drinking culture." Under the proposal made by Rudensky, "the sale of beer would be restricted to stadium eateries" (RIA NOVOSTI, 1/31).