"I applaud and encourage the use of sports and cultural events to convey messages regarding the value of a tobacco-free life to young people everywhere."
- Dr. H. Nakajima, Director-General, WHO
Every year the World Health Organization invites people all over the world to focus on issues related to tobacco or health on this special day, 3 1 May, which has been designated by the World Health Assembly as World No-Tobacco Day. The celebration of World No-Tobacco Day aims at encouraging governments, communities, groups and individuals to become aware of the problems caused by the use of tobacco, especially among young people, and to take appropriate action to combat this harmful behaviour. It is also a day when WHO appeals to everyone who smokes or chews tobacco to give up the habit.
This year, World No-Tobacco Day is dedicated to the theme "Sport and the arts without tobacco". This is a unique opportunity to mobilize athletes, artists and the media, as well as the public in general, in support of WHO's objective of promoting a society and a way of life where tobacco use is no longer an accepted norm.
World No-Tobacco Day 1996 is being cosponsored by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the International Olympic Committee. Both organizations have welcomed WHO's initiative of combining sport and the arts for the prevention of tobacco use. Portraying athletes and artists as role models of a "smoke-free" and therefore healthy lifestyle can be a powerful way of conveying to the public in general and to young people in particular our message about tobacco or health. It is also consistent with the Olympic ideals of good health and protection of the environment.
These organizations also support WHO's concept of "sport for all" as the right for all human beings to participate in sport and physical activities to improve all aspects of their health and well-being.
Dr H. Nakajima, Director-General of WHO has stated that: "Regular physical activity is vital for good health: it provides protection from a wide variety of physical and mental ailments. However, physical fitness and good health can be ruined by tobacco use... The consequences of tobacco use are very serious: it is estimated that about half of the adolescents who start smoking cigarettes and continue throughout their lives will eventually die from tobacco-related diseases. Apart from smoking, all other forms of tobacco use are also very hazardous."
Ensuring that health promotion messages are heard and put into practice is a real challenge. Holding sport and cultural events that are tobacco- free contributes to giving a positive image to these messages, emphasizing disease prevention and health promotion. Experience has shown that, to be effective, communication must be established in the right setting and with a receptive audience. Sports and entertainment can create the ideal environment to convey our health messages to the public.
This has been fully realized by the tobacco industry which has been developing a positive image for itself and its products by sponsoring personalities and events in the field of sports and culture. In many countries, it has been making maximum use of achievers and role models in sport and the arts, to create a positive association between sport, the arts and cigarette smoking.
Sport and arts institutions, and organizers of entertainment events should be given the facts about tobacco-or-health issues. They must come to understand why their prestigious activities should not be linked to products which impair health and cause avoidable premature death. As sport and arts institutions or associations realize that tobacco is incompatible with their attitudes and values, they can turn into precious allies, who then actively promote a tobacco-free lifestyle.