TOBACCO FREE SPORTS – " PLAY IT CLEAN". THEME FOR WORLD NO TOBACCO
DAY 2002
Sports Authority of India (SAI) in association
with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and World Health
Organisation (WHO) organised a celebration of World No Tobacco
Day – 2002, here yesterday. The theme for this year’s
celebration was "Tobacco Free Sports" – Play it
clean. Similar programmes were also organised in Bangalore and
Guwahati. The objective of the programme was to generate mass
awareness/campaign against use of tobacco especially amongst youth
and to send out the message that sports and tobacco do not go
hand-in-hand. Speaking on the occasion Minister for Health &
Family Welfare Shri C P Thakur said that the number of tobacco
related diseases is on rise in the country. But he expressed satisfaction
over the increasing awareness about the bad effects of tobacco
consumption.
Eminent sports persons, Arjuna Awardees, officials
of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and Ministry of Health
and Family Welfare were present on the occasion. Among the sports
persons present on the occasion were Shri Jaspal Rana (shooting),
Shri HPS Ahluwalia (Mountaineering), Shri Zafar Iqbal (hockey),
Shri G S Randhawa (Athletics) and Shri R S Bhanwala (rowing).
Tobacco use is responsible for an estimated 8
lakh deaths per annum in India. In order to create public awareness
about the ill effects of tobacco use, 31st May is celebrated
is World No Tobacco Day every year. WHO throughout the Ministry
of Health and Family Welfare is funding the programme and SAI
is providing the infrastructure and technical assistance for conducting
the programme.
