Exercise Together in Support of “Smoke-free Sportswear Day” Step Forward to Tobacco-free for safeguarding Next Generation

Today (31 May) Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health (COSH) has held “Smoke-free Sportswear Day” for the fourth consecutive year to promote the message of a smoke-free lifestyle, and to encourage smokers to quit smoking by exercising to echo World No Tobacco Day (WNTD). Nearly 140 companies, organizations, non-profit groups, hospitals and schools mobilized approximately 13,000 employees, members, teachers, and students to participate by wearing sportswear in support of striving for a tobacco-free Hong Kong, and safeguarding the health of the general public, especially the next generation.

COSH visited a kindergarten today and Mr Henry TONG Sau-chai (COSH Chairman) exercised with the students and shared about the harms of smoking. Through the activities, smoke-free messages were delivered in order to promote a smoke-free lifestyle among the younger generation. Mr TONG said, "The theme of WNTD 2024 is “Protecting children from tobacco industry interference”. I urge everyone to work together to prevent children and adolescents from starting smoking, and encourage their family and friends to make the right choice and quit smoking as soon as possible for the sake of their own health and that of the next generation.”

A series of promotional initiatives including a kick-off ceremony cum carnival were held in this month. Through interactive booth games and tobacco-free themed workshops, COSH endeavors to impart a deeper understanding of the perils of smoking to people across all walks of life. COSH also organized roadshow promotion for the general public through smoke-free games with souvenirs. It aims to encourage all walks of life to adopt healthier lifestyles, as well as motivate smokers to quit smoking through the utilization of exercise-based cessation methods. (Please click here to read more)

COSH reiterates that tobacco control is a journey of stamina as the tobacco industry has been using every means to obstruct the development of tobacco control including establishing front groups of tobacco industry to oppose tobacco control policies, manipulating research data through sponsorship to mislead the public about the harms of smoking, as well as utilizing marketing and public relations strategies to cultivate an image of "social responsibility" while promoting smoking. According to Article 5.3 of World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, governments should take actions to protect tobacco control policies from being influenced by tobacco industry or other vested interests of the industry.

The WHO previously revealed that the "The Foundation for a Smoke-Free World," which claimed to be an independent non-profit organization, was in fact funded by the tobacco industry, interfering with tobacco control efforts. Recently, Stopping Tobacco Organizations Products (STOP), a global tobacco industry watchdog, has alerted the public that the "Foundation for a Smoke-Free World" has been renamed as the "Global Action to End Smoking". COSH also reminds all enterprises and institutions not to accept, support or endorse the aforementioned organization, or any activities initiated by the tobacco industry that target youth and the general public, in order to protect young people from the interference or manipulation by the tobacco industry and related sectors.

COSH visited a kindergarten today and Mr Henry TONG Sau-chai (COSH Chairman) exercised with the students and shared about the harms of smoking.

Some organizations held promotional booth and activities to spread smoke-free messages in support of COSH's Smoke-free Sportswear Day.