Organisation campaigns for smoke-free sports venues

AMMAN — The Tobacco Free Jordan Association (TFJA) has launched a campaign coinciding with the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup to make sports facilities smoke-free venues. 

The initiative, conducted in cooperation with the Local Organising Committee (LOC) and FIFA, focuses on raising awareness to encourage people to stop smoking at sports facilities, said Zeina Shahzada, a founding member of the TFJA.

“We approached them because we feel proud that Jordan is holding such a prestigious contest and we wanted to make a formal competition in Jordan free of smoking for the first time in the Kingdom,” she told The Jordan Times on Monday.

“Our sports federations are not free of smoking and banning smoking will help produce positive results and help care for our facilities,” the TFJA official said.

When they introduced the idea of the campaign, Shahzada said, FIFA commended the step as their regulations are against smoking.

“We did not want to make it aggressive, and we wanted to encourage everyone to stand against smoking at sports facilities,” she added.

Shahzada stressed that the association has received a great deal of support from LOC officials, particularly from CEO Samar Nassar.

Nassar said the committee decided to cooperate with TFJA because sports and smoking cannot mix.

“We set up banners at the stadiums and on the streets to promote the campaign,” the LOC official added.

Shahzada said they are screening a short video during the matches tackling this issue and they also use social media to reach as many audience members as possible.

Nassar said she has sensed a positive impact from the campaign, adding that they did not see anyone smoking inside the stadium or in the VIP seats.

“We designed specific areas for people who wish to smoke but not inside the sports venues,” she added.

Shahzada expressed hope that the positive impact will last in the future and that the campaign will run during local sports activities as well.