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Australia's premier medical authority and the NSW Government have urged Cricket Australia (CA) to stop promoting alcohol for good now that its sponsorship with Carlton and United Breweries (CUB) has ended.
After 20 years, Victoria Bitter, produced by CUB, will no longer be the official beer and sponsor of cricket, but the ABC understands CA is in talks with another beverage company.
The Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP), which has lobbied against alcohol promotion in sports, said CA should take the opportunity to find a non-alcoholic sponsor.
President of the RACP's paediatric division Sarah Dalton said children should not be developing an association between sport and alcohol consumption.
"We're delighted to hear that CUB have ended their VB sponsorship with cricket. So this is a great opportunity to look at alternatives and there are lots of alternatives," she said.
"Ultimately we really need to give the message to our children that sport is about being healthy."
Earlier this week the RACP said new research has revealed only one in four Australians are aware of a loophole that allows alcohol advertisements to air during weekend sports before 8:30pm.
"On every other day of the week, during every other program on television, ACMA recognises that alcohol advertisements are harmful to children and does not allow for them to be shown before 8.30pm. Why are sports programs an exception?" RACP president Dr Catherine Yelland said.
She said studies have proved alcohol advertising encourages children to start drinking earlier and binge drink more.
New South Wales Health Minister Brad Hazzard has also called on CA to stop promoting alcohol as part of sponsorship deals.
"I would really like to see that alcohol is not on the t-shirts of our players," he said.
"I think it's an issue that someone who is a hero in all our eyes, Michael Clarke, wears an alcohol brand on his t-shirt.
"Why should the message be going out to our young people that alcohol equals our best and fairest sports players?"
Mr Hazzard said good health outcomes require CA to be responsible and young people should not be led to see alcohol as a necessary part of life.
He said he hoped the Government did not need to go as far as legislating against alcohol promotion in sports, as was done for tobacco.
A spokesperson for CA told the ABC the partnership with CUB was concluded in "good faith and mutually agreed by both parties".
"We will be announcing an exciting new partnership in the coming days."
Topics: sport, cricket, alcohol, nsw, australia
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