London Assembly Members have called for a ban on sponsorship of the Olympic and Paralympic games by companies which produce high calorie food and drinks.
A motion passed[1] at today’s meeting of the full Assembly urged the Olympic movement to adopt strict criteria for sponsorship of the Games which would exclude companies associated with products linked to childhood obesity.
The motion also calls on Mayor Boris Johnson to encourage the organisers of future major sporting events on London to adopt a similar approach.
Jenny Jones AM, who proposed the motion, said:
"London won the right to host the 2012 Games with the promise to deliver a legacy of more active, healthier children across the world. Yet the same International Olympic Committee that awarded the games to London persists in maintaining sponsorship deals with the purveyors of high calorie junk that contributes to the threat of an obesity epidemic.
"The advertising of foods high in fat, salt and sugar is already restricted on children’s television. These Games will subvert those regulations by providing a glut of sponsored messages for high calorie food and drink that are at odds with the Olympian athletic ideal."
Dr Onkar Sahota AM, who seconded the motion, said:
"As a doctor I know the damage that poor unbalanced diets can have on people’s long term health and these habits are learnt in childhood. The consumption of too many high cholesterol and high calorie foods leads to obesity which is a major cause of diabetes and heart disease. It is time the IOC put greater value on its responsibility to the children of the world than it does on sponsorship dollars of agri-business multinationals."
The full text of the motion agreed at today’s meeting reads as follows:
"The Assembly calls on:
1) The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) to recommend that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) introduces criteria for the selection of world wide sponsors for future Games that exclude food and drinks companies strongly associated with high calorie brands and products linked to childhood obesity, and to encourage national organising committees to adopt similar criteria;
2) The Mayor of London to encourage the organisers of future major sporting events in London to adopt criteria for appointment of sponsors that exclude such food and drinks companies; and
3) The Government to consider introducing restrictions on advertising and exclusive marketing at major sporting events by such food and drinks companies."
For more details, please contact Dana Rothenberg in the Assembly Media Office on 020 7983 4603/4283. For out of hours media enquiries please call 020 7983 4000 and ask for the Assembly duty press officer. Non-media enquiries should be directed to the Public Liaison Unit, Greater London Authority, on 020 7983 4100.
As a service to our readers, Around the Rings will provide verbatim texts of selected press releases issued by Olympic-related organizations, federations, businesses and sponsors.
These press releases appear as sent to Around the Rings and are not edited for spelling, grammar or punctuation.
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