Study links alcohol sports sponsorship to athletes' binge drinking

Sportspeople funded by the drinks industry were more likely to engage in binge drinking than those with no alcohol sponsor, a study claimed today.

Researchers said athletes felt obligated to drink the sponsor’s product when free or discounted alcohol formed part of the deal.

The joint study by the University of Manchester and the University of Newcastle in Australia questioned 1,279 sportspeople in New Zealand.

It found nearly half of their sponsorship deals included free or cut-price alcohol for sporting functions and post-match celebrations.

Alcohol-industry sponsorship was reported by 47.8% of the athletes surveyed and of that figure 46.7% said they were given free or discounted alcohol products.

Study author Dr Kerry O’Brien, based at Manchester’s School of Psychological Sciences, said the research provided the first evidence of a link between alcohol sponsorship and hazardous drinking among sportspeople.

He said: “Alcohol consumption is a leading cause of mortality, responsible for 9.2% of the disease burden in developed countries.

“Heavy episodic drinking is particularly harmful. It is common among sportspeople and is associated with other risky behaviour such as drink-driving, unprotected sex and anti-social behaviour.

“Sportspeople receiving direct alcohol-industry sponsorship of any kind, including payment of competition fees, costs for uniforms and the provision of alcohol beverages, reported more hazardous drinking than those not receiving sponsorship.”

The research raised serious ethical issues for sports administrators, the report concluded.

Dr O’Brien added: “We suggest that health and governmental organisations need to work with sporting organisations and clubs to find ways to sever links with the alcohol industry, while still ensuring sports groups have sufficient financial support.”

The study is published in the December edition of the journal Addiction.