Two days ago, a beaming Davy Russell clambered onto the podium in the winners’ enclosure at Punchestown and had his snap taken as he pretended to take a great, big glug out of the oversized tankard that comes with victory in the Gold Cup.

The much-delayed national alcohol strategy has been shelved until next year despite pledges that the Cabinet would meet to sign off on it before Christmas.

The Junior Health Minister says he hopes to have proposals on the sponsorship of sporting events by alcohol companies before the Government by Christmas.

The troubled Government action plan on alcohol will go to Cabinet in the coming weeks — but it is not clear when policies to end alcohol sports’ sponsorship and introduce minimum pricing will actually be implemented.

Government departments repeatedly lobbied against proposals to end sport sponsorship by the drinks industry, internal memos show.

The Department of Justice accused two drinks’ industry groups involved in a Government alcohol strategy committee of trying to “undermine” its final report.

A leading sports economist has stated that sporting bodies around the world are in no position to absorb the dent in funds that would accompany any legal restrictions on alcohol sponsorships.

The Alcohol Beverage Federation of Ireland (ABFI) has said that a report released today on how to reduce the alcohol intake in Ireland is "a missed opportunity" to address the issue of alcohol misuse.

Alcohol was responsible for 88 deaths a month in 2008 and played a role in half of all suicides and cases of deliberate self-harm, according to a government body.

Government ministers raising objections to plans to scrap alcohol sponsorship for sports and arts events have been told by Alcohol Action Ireland: “Public health is not a luxury.”