Government fat cats sending out the wrong message

Business of Sport: They say a picture is worth 1,000 words, and as the EU-US delegates posed for photos in Dromoland Castle last week, on one side sat the slim, sleek and svelte American contingent while opposite them was the stout, puffy and red-cheeked Irish representation.

Mary v Condie. Cowen v Powell, Bertie v George W: we all know who'd be scoring poorly on their BMI tests.

And yet. This week more signs of the Big Brother Irish State telling us what to eat, drink and how to stay fit (well, at least to stay out of the hospitals).

And then you turn back to the photo in Dromoland and see how unfit and overweight our politicians are. Another case of "Do as I say, not as I do" for the Irish public to ingest.

While Bertie the Bass-man still likes a tipple at Fagans, at least George W has quit the booze. Colin Powell looks as if he just stepped off the army training ground, while Condoleezza Rice gets up at 5 a.m. just to get in an hour in the gym before her work day starts.

Wonder how much exercise our health-loving, sports-mad Cabinet have put in recently? Being chauffeur-driven between yoga and spin classes perhaps.

And now, the National Taskforce on Obesity has called for submissions from the public to help identify obesity determinants in Irish society and best practice in the prevention, detection and treatment of it.

Perhaps the leaflet could be passed around at the next Cabinet meeting to see if Bertie and co might have some input. Maybe they could pass on their weekly training schedules.

There has been a 30-per-cent increase in reported obesity levels over the last four years in Ireland, and obesity is becoming one of the fastest-growing health problems in Ireland, with one in eight obese and every second person overweight, we are told.

Which means, on the law of averages, eight Ministers in this Government are overweight. And three were sitting opposite the slimline US delegation.

Dubya's administration has set a goal of getting 20 million additional Americans to exercise for at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week - an attainable goal probably. But in Ireland we're told: "Don't do that. Stop sponsoring that. Avoid that. That's baaaaaad."

Meanwhile, we hear the concerns of teachers over sponsorship by companies like McDonalds of our children's sporting activities, but the teachers say there is nothing they can do about it as without the fast-food giant's money there would be no games to play.

Corporate sponsorship of gear such as hurleys, footballs and sliotars is taking the place of Government funding.

The Playstation generation is being shown the way by American multi-nationals whose motto is to get them young and keep them for life. But is it any wonder, when they turn on the TV and see scenes such as those at Dromoland?

Our political leaders are a scary sight to the youth of today. Don't just go to the matches - play the game - should be the lesson to the kids.

Smoking has been shown the door, and with the report of the GAA Taskforce into Alcohol and Substance Abuse recommending a phasing out of alcohol sponsorship of sports events, it seems the Government is intent on turning us into the healthiest, fittest, slimmest society in the western world.

So while people bemoan the drinking culture that still exists in Irish sport today, maybe the scapegoats should be found not only among the sponsors but up there at the top, among the Government.

Being treated and scolded like bold children while the top table of Ministers feast on the lavishings the political good life has to offer will never be an inducement to changing our ways. Taking one look at the differences between the Irish and American delegations last week will.

Meanwhile, the FAI were quick to jump on the bandwagon of alcohol sponsorship themselves, welcoming Micheál Martin's response to the GAA report and helpfully pointing out that with their own "player-centred" Technical Development Plan "we are addressing our responsibilities with regard to the welfare of our members in a caring professional manner" - the words of Fran Rooney.

Strange, then, to think that over the three years it took to come up with the plan, the only body representing professional soccer players in the Republic, the Professional Footballers Association of Ireland (PFAI), was never consulted or brought into the discussions.

Schools, women, the eircom League, junior football, the Defence Forces, referees and universities were all involved and contributed to the planning committee, while not once was the PFAI invited to take part.

"The FAI must be player-oriented in all its decision-making and structures," reads the blurb, yet it will be the players who will bear the brunt of any cock-ups over the course of this PR plan.

It is incredible to think that a body such as the FAI, whose motto is "we care about football", did not see fit to consult with the association regarding input into the development plan.

After all, the PFAI, as they themselves say, have only been dealing with the welfare, re-education, rehabilitation and financial problems of players both past and present for more than 40 years.

bizofsport@eircom.net

£9.52 - Proactive, the company representing Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo, has seen its share price soar from a pre-Euro 2004 price of £7.35.

0.00093333% - The chances of a child in America making it as a top-50 professional tennis player - 14 out of 5.1 million. Maybe Tim Henman isn't that bad after all.

Childhood obesity is not confined to this side of the world, it seems. Australia has declared its determination to fight the growing number of fat kids there with proposals to ban food and drink advertising during children's programming on television.

Sports teams are getting involved, with the Australian Football League, Cricket Australia and Netball Australia all teamed up to spearhead a campaign.

Twenty-two people have now been arrested in South African football's match-fixing scandal. The police probe, code-named Operation Dribble, has added two more club officials and a referee to their growing list of suspects.

ESPN, the US sports cable giant, are planning to launch in Britain next year. Their new, 24-hour service, ESPN Classic, which shows great sporting moments, has this month launched in Belgium, Germany, Latvia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Russia, Scandinavia and Switzerland.

The return of BBC's Match of the Day will face serious challenge from Sky's Saturday night highlights programme. The Football First show will include full coverage of the biggest game of the day from around 8.30 p.m.

TV viewing figures for Euro 2004 are the highest ever, according to UEFA. Cumulative live television audience figures for the top six markets during the group phase of the tournament were up 26 per cent in comparison to Euro 2000 at 845 million, while the average live audience for a home team is up 38 per cent and the audience for a neutral match is up 12.5 per cent.

In Galway, 1.4 million has been spent on a new weighroom, media centre, entrance and administration building at Galway Racecourse ahead of Race Week, which starts on July 26th with a total prize fund of €1.7 million.

ListentoLombardi "Success demands singleness of purpose."