Report to link sports sponsorship with alcohol problems

An Oireachtas committee examining issues surrounding alcohol abuse is expected to draw a direct link today between the problem and the sponsorship of sporting events by drinks companies.

In a report due to be published later, the committee is expected to say that Ireland is in a state of denial about the scale of its alcohol problem.

The report will conclude that the link between sport and drinks firms is one of the factors causing increased alcohol consumption among young people.

However, it will fall short of calling for an outright ban on drinks sponsorship and will instead propose that greater efforts be made to find alternative sponsors.