What is Tobacco-Free Sports and Recreation?
Tobacco-Free Sports and Recreation recognizes that tobacco industry products have no place in or alongside the healthy, safe activities that sports and recreation programs provide. Tobacco-Free Sports and Recreation programs create safe and healthy environments for our youth by:
- Preventing youth from starting to use tobacco industry products
- Giving everyone a chance to perform at their best
- Protecting people from second-hand smoke
- Helping people trying to quit
Tobacco-Free Sports and Recreation means that everyone taking part in an organized sport or recreational activity refrains from using all forms of tobacco industry products including cigarettes, chew, and other smokeless tobacco. It is a global movement endorsed by leading organizations including the World Health Organization (WHO), Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International Football Association (FIFA).
Why Sports and Recreation?
Sport and recreation organizations play a vital role in the health and wellness of our community. Tobacco-Free Sports and Recreation programs create an environment where adults and young athletes become tobacco-free role models who send a powerful message to youth that tobacco is not part of healthy living.
How to be Tobacco-Free
The best way to ensure that people will not use tobacco industry products at sport and recreation events is to develop and promote a tobacco-free policy. By adopting a tobacco-free policy, sport and recreation organizations will send a clear message to all members and the wider community that tobacco industry products have no place in sports and recreation activities.
A Tobacco-Free Sports and Recreation (TFSR) Guide is available as part of a Smoke-Free Ontario initiative to assist sports and recreation associations with developing and promoting Tobacco-Free Sports and Recreation policies. To download a copy of the TFSR Guide, visit www.playlivebetobaccofree.ca.
Grants are available to make your team and/or association Tobacco-Free!
Start working on your tobacco-free policy today and send the message that the community supports and values being tobacco-free! If your sports organization is ready to step up and become tobacco-free, Hamilton Public Health Services can help. There are a limited number of $500 seed grants available to help your team develop and promote a Tobacco-Free policy. To find out more please contact the City of Hamilton Tobacco Hotline at 905-540-5566.
Please see full details about the grants in the tobacco and sports (pdf)
Play, Live, Be…Tobacco-Free!
Last updated: April 6, 2011