Triathlon part of Australian Sport Campaign to Tackle Binge Drinking

Tuesday 26^th June 2012: Triathlon Australia is one twelve Australian national sporting organisations being allocated funding out of a new government sponsorship program to provide an alternative to alcohol sponsorship in sport.

The new campaign ‘Be the influence: tackling binge drinking’ is a partnership between the Australian Government and high profile national sporting organisations to address binge drinking and the influence of alcohol promotion on young Australians.

Chief Executive Officer of Triathlon Australia, Anne Gripper, said her sport was proud to take a leadership role in this important area. “This is a good match between the fundamental values of triathlon, and the new strategy which promotes the message that excessive alcohol is not necessary to enjoy the sporting experience “either as a participant or a spectator” said Ms Gripper.

The Minister for Sport, Senator Kate Lundy, announced the Australian Government’s support for the Community Sponsorship Fund on Saturday at Melbourne’s AAMI Park Stadium with representatives from the 12 sporting organisations and a number of Australia’s sports stars.

“Sport is a really important part of young peoples’ lives and it’s terrific that our elite athletes have come on board to promote a healthy sporting lifestyle in the lead up to the Olympics,” Senator Lundy said.

“This campaign is about tapping into the positive influence sporting clubs have on young people while promoting responsible drinking.” The Minister for Mental Health, Mark Butler, said the initiative will be funded under the National Binge Drinking Strategy and was aimed at giving sports an alternative to relying on alcohol sponsorship to support their clubs. “The sponsorship agreements act as an alternative to alcohol sponsorship in sport and do not affect the pourage rights and service of alcohol at stadiums and events. “I’ve been impressed by the enthusiasm shown by these twelve national sporting organisations to reduce the exposure of young people to alcohol imagery and branding,” Mr Butler said.

Each sponsorship agreement covers a range of activities and events from national team sponsorship, to Australia-wide competitions and community sporting events. The participating sporting organisations include: Football Federation of Australia, Netball Australia, Swimming Australia, Basketball Australia, Cycling Australia, Hockey Australia, Athletics Australia, Volleyball Australia, Equestrian Australia, Triathlon Australia, Canoeing Australia and Skateboarding Australia.

Triathlon Australia will work with the Australian National Preventative Health Agency (ANPHA) to promote the campaign message at its key National Calendar events over the coming season.