SYDNEY, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- Australia's sporting industry lashed out at a New South Wales State bill on Thursday, saying that the tough new restrictions on advertising alcohol brands during sports broadcasts will harm their revenue.
The Coalition of Major Professional and Participation Sports (COMPPS) told a state parliamentary committee that the proposed changes would undermine the economics of professional sport in Australia and have a negative impact on sports' rights.
According to COMPPS, alcohol companies help support more than 16,000 sporting clubs across the country, which have over 9 million participants in total.
Without this lucrative support, particularly through television advertisements, they fear revenue for sporting organizations and television networks will plummet.
But one of the major proponents of the new bill, president of the Australian Medical Association in New South Wales Brad Frankum, explained to Xinhua that "exposure to alcohol marketing shapes young people's attitudes towards drinking and behaviors."
"The more alcohol advertising that young people are exposed to, the earlier they will start to drink, and the more they will consume if they already drink," he said.
According to the independent organization that represents almost 9,000 doctors across the state, the new laws are necessary to relieve the harm alcohol consumption puts on young people and the broader healthcare system, Frankum said.
"On average, around five young Australians aged 15 to 24 years die every week due to alcohol-attributable injury or disease, and a further 200 are hospitalized," he said.
"In the short term, alcohol misuse by young people is associated with increased risk of depression, suicide, violence, poor academic performance, risky sexual behaviors, and reckless driving."
"In the long term, alcohol misuse elevates the risks of developing certain cancers and contributes to a range of chronic health conditions, including cirrhosis of the liver, inflammation of the gut and pancreas, heart and circulatory problems, and alcohol dependence," Frankum explained.
