‘Disgrace’ not to ban sports’drink sponsors

Medical and community leaders who were members of an official alcohol strategy group have slammed Government moves to drop plans to ban alcohol sponsorship of sporting events.

Professor Joe Barry of TCD said such a decision would show the Government had “caved in to big multinationals” and was placing their interests “above that of the public health of young people”.

Community representative Fergus McCabe described the move as “absolutely disgraceful” and said it would show the Government “didn’t have the bottle to stick by what they know was right” in banning sponsorship.