Sport not culpable for drink culture

SINCE you asked, just back from Cape Verde, off the coast of west Africa, and soon to rival anywhere else in the world as a golf-sunshine-watersport-chill-out destination.

The primary purpose of the trip was to interview Ernie Els, but there were also several other aspects, including a meeting with world-class windsurfer Josh Angulo, long a Cape Verde resident, and interviews with local politicians and businessmen, get their views on the explosive transition of what used to be a sedate, farming-fishing economy into a dynamic tourist destination.

It was a hugely enjoyable break but it’s left me wondering about a seriously disappointing side-effect of our own recent accelerated development – binge-drinking.