The 16th Asian Games, part of the worldwide Olympic movement and governed by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), will be “going smokeless” with firm prohibitions on the sale of tobacco products and tobacco sponsorship of the Games.
The Asian Games are the second largest sports event in the world after the Summer Olympic Games.
Governed by the Olympic Council of Asia, the 16th Asian Games follows all mandates of the International Olympic Committee in which Games’ organizers are prohibited from accepting sponsorship of the Games by tobacco manufactures.
Organizers are also prohibited from allowing the sale of cigarettes or tobacco products at any athletic venue.
“Preparations of smoking control for the 16th Asian Games are in full swing in the host city of Guangzhou,” said Hu Bingjie, deputy director of the Medical Services Department of the Guangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee (GAGOC), and Zhao Hong, director of the Office of the Guangzhou Patriotic Health Campaign Committee.
Guangzhou’s efforts on smoking controls are aimed at creating a safe, clean, and healthy environment for the upcoming Asian Games. ♦
