Responding to the World Health Organization's (WHO) global campaign -- dubbed "Tobacco-Free Sports: Playing it Clean" -- various regions of the country have held public education activities, urging people to kick tobacco out of sports events and their lives.

While Beijing is the host to the 2008 Olympic Games, China produces and consumes the largest amount of tobacco in the world.

China forbids tobacco advertisements on radio and TV, in newspapers and magazines and in public places such as waiting rooms, cinemas, and at sports events however, investigations have shown that 80 per cent of the country's youngsters are exposed to tobacco advertisements, especially foreign tobacco advertisements.

Supporting sports activities has become a key way for tobacco makers to broadcast their products.

These advertisements attached to sports activities have strong power in alluring people to smoke, especially young people who usually have strong interests in sports.

China will make more efforts to draft a national tobacco control strategy and focus on preventing smoking among young people in public places and second-hand smoke, Song Qingsheng, vice-minister of the Ministry of Health, said yesterday at a public education activity held at the Beijing University of Physical Education.

At the event, the WHO honored Zhang Faqiang, vice-director of the State Sport General Administration, and Li Yongbo, head coach of China's National Badminton Squad, for their achievements in the anti-smoking campaign.

Many countries, including China, and international organizations have joined the WHO in its efforts to persuade people to drop smoking habit.

The Federation International de Football Association has decided to ban smoking by spectators at the World Cup finals, which kicked off Friday in South Korea.

(China Daily June 1, 2002)