Australian sport "is rife with the promotion of alcohol, junk food and gambling, with nearly three quarters of sports sponsored by a company that sells those products, a study shows," according to Harriet Alexander of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. An audit of the 53 sporting organizations that have received funding from the Australian Sports Commission "indicated a pervasive level of influence by companies that sell 'unhealthy' products." Cricket "topped the list with the unhealthy trinity of booze, betting and burgers" comprising 27% of its sponsors, including 19 fast food manufacturers, 10 alcohol companies and one gambling operator. It "was followed by rugby league, rugby union, Australian rules and football." University of Sydney researcher Rona Macniven, who presented the research at a Sports Medicine Australia conference on Wednesday, said that "the promotion of such products was incongruous with the health benefits that came from engaging the community in sport." Macniven said, "At this time of year, watching the grand finals, they were really saturated with unhealthy product advertising. It's a bit of a paradox, with sport being synonymous with health." Cricket Australia's website "lists Coca-Cola, KFC, VB, Carlton Mid, Bet365 and Milo among its sponsors."
SOURCE OF FUNDING: A spokesperson said that sponsors "provided critical financial support for the game and Cricket Australia encouraged the responsible consumption of alcohol through its 'know when to declare' campaign." The spokesperson said, "We believe that to simply ban alcohol sponsorship in sport is a simplistic approach to a complex societal issue." Carlton & United Brewery Corporate Affairs Dir Jeremy Griffith said classifying alcohol, junk food and gambling as "unhealthy" was a moralistic position and that none of them were harmful in moderation. Griffith: "The argument that sports sponsorship is driving consumption and under-age drinking is not backed by facts" (SMH, 10/15).
