Drink company sponsorship ban would be €60 million hit for Galway Races

By TOM GILMORE IF THE Government goes ahead with proposals to ban alcohol sponsorship of major sporting events it could have a catastrophic impact on the whole tourism industry in Galway city and county, according to John Maloney, Racecourse Manager at the Ballybrit track. â€Å“The Galway Races are worth over €60 million to Galway city and county annually and our prize fund would be decimated if sponsorship from the major drinks companies was banned. â€Å“For example Diageo and Guinness are one of the firms that have been longest sponsoring racing events in Ireland. Feature race sponsors â€Å“They sponsor the feature race, The Guinness Galway Hurdle, on the Thursday of Race week, which is worth over €260,000 in a prize fund,â€Â says John.[private] He was responding to proposal said to be due before the cabinet which could see the Government going ahead with proposals to ban alcohol sponsorship of sports events from 2020 and banning all new sponsorships linked to sports by 2016. The impact of this would be felt worst of all by overseas trainers and breeders coming to Galway with their horses. They would stay away and the knock-on effect would be disastrous for the whole tourism industry in this area. â€Å“We have attracted overseas horses in the past for the Guinness Galway Hurdle but if this sponsorship was to be pulled I wouldnâ€â„¢t see any of those coming to Galway,â€Â he added. Ministers are said to be deeply divided in their views on this issue with Sports Minister Leo Varadkar said to be against a ban on alcohol firms sponsoring events such as the Guinness Galway Hurdle. However, proposals by Junior Minister Alex White are aimed at stopping alcohol sponsorships of sports events by 2020 with no new contracts from 2016. His Labour predecessor at the Department of Health, Roisin Shorthall, had also been proposing to hit drinks sponsorship. But John Maloney says that apart from a major name such as Guinness many other firms connected to the drinks and hospitality industry also give generous sponsorship to the Galway Races. Pubs and hotels â€Å“Local pubs and hotels also very kindly give us sponsorship and if this ban was to be implemented our prize fund would be hugely decimated and a lot of support from local businesses would also go, which would be a huge pity. â€Å“The Government may be talking about this ban on alcohol sponsorship but hopefully they will see sense and not do so as people drink very sensibly at events such as the Galway Races,â€Â he added. Many other sports events and organisations have been annoyed that they are being targeted by the proposed ban on drinks companies sponsoring them while the Government have not looked at doing this at major music festivals, especially outdoor concerts where drink and drugs are seen as a much greater problem. Some groups who are fighting against the proposed ban also cite the allowing of bars to operate freely, and in some instances assisted by sponsorship, at universities and other third-level colleges where many of the students may be below the legal age for buying alcohol of 18. While the Royal College of Physicians has come out strongly in favour of banning sponsorship of sports events, sports organisations such as the FAI and IRFU have said it would also hit their ability to operate community-based initiatives which help keep young people away from venues selling alcohol. Vintners groups are also calling for tighter controls on price cutting of alcohol by supermarkets which they claim is leading to more excessive drinking by people unsupervised places. They argue that those drinking in pubs are doing so under supervision and in a controlled atmosphere.[/private]