Sport, music and the arts all constitute absolutely key pillars of our culture and we cannot continue selling them to alcohol brands if we truly want to modify our relationship with alcohol, the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland (CPsychI) has said.

The call was made in its submission to the Working Group on Regulating Sponsorship by Alcohol Companies of Major Sporting Events, in the Department of the Taoiseach, prepared by the College’s Faculty of Addiction Psychiatry, which has been calling for a ban on alcohol advertising and sponsorship since 2008.

The evidence indicating that sponsorship of sport by alcohol companies is associated with increased alcohol-related harm for children and adolescents has grown since 2008, according to the CPsychI, which has welcomed the Government’s consideration of this measure as part of the draft Public Health (Alcohol) Bill.