Thursday 2 September 2010

It is OFFICAL - Alcohol Bill in Kenya ends Sports Sponsorships

With the signature appended on the paper, Kenya's Pres. threw the alcohol industry into a new era. Gone will be the creative ads that have graced your screens, radios and billboards among others; your favourite drink will have larger imprints warning you of the harmful effects alcohol is likely to have on your health and that of your future generations.
In an earlier post, we had lamented about this given the amount of sponsorship and support accorded to sport by alcohol manufacturing firms in the country and the region too. Some firms seem to have read the script early and EABL in some mind-boggling changes dropped sponsorships from rugby, football and the premiere sport they have always supported, golf. (Wonder what happened to Tusker Sports...)
The tragedy for sport is that now more than ever there is need for companies to support this budding industry. The challenge though is seen in the form of companies being forced to enter into what some like to call CSR activities and also the sports federations developing very tight proposals for the companies they wish to target to approach for this.
If the Minister of Youth Affairs and  Sports is to be believed then let's hope to have robust sports industry....

2 comments:

unspoken said...

Very Interesting.

I think there is a need to find a balance, between those advertising and those consuming (watching, cheering, etc) the sports product.

This has been the case in Canada. What kinds of sporting events occur along the coastal regions of Kenya? Mombasa seems to be quite an attractive place to visit.

SportsKenya said...

@Unspoken; It's tragic for sport but in our humble opinion it never works with these 'sin products'(cigarettes, alcohol). Responsible consumption is not always affected by advertising or sponsorship for that matter.
As for the Coast, you have quite some places to choose from but the Southern Coast is always more attractive thanks to more pristine coastline and infrastructure at Diani. As for sporting events, beach volleyball,scuba diving and some rowing too though mostly for pleasure. Some golf courses too coming up in the Northern side towards Malindi. All the best on your visit there.