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Press Release
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January 26, 2004
Contact: CDC Office on Smoking and Health
(770) 488-5493 |
CDC Highlights Tobacco-Free Sports at
ESPN Winter X Games VIII
Aspen, CO - The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
through its Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is collaborating with
ESPN during the Winter X Games VIII in Aspen/Snowmass to publicize the
tobacco-free policy at the games and promote the health benefits of an
active tobacco-free lifestyle.
Everyday more than 4,000 youth start smoking. Collaborating with the X
Games is a great way to help us reverse this trend and encourage our
nation's youth to make important health decisions related to tobacco use,
physical activity, and good nutrition, said Tommy G. Thompson, U.S.
Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Smoking and use of other tobacco products is not permitted at the Winter
X Games VIII being held January 23-27.
"There's no question that smoking negatively effects athletic
performance," said U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona. Participation in
sports serves as positive way youth can express themselves without tobacco
and reap the benefits of physical activity.
CDCs Tobacco-Free Sports public education activities during the Winter X
Games VIII include airing of public service announcements that feature
athletes who endorse a smoke-free healthy lifestyle as critical to achieving
their highest potential.
Members of Colorados youth-led health promotion campaign, Get R!EAL,
will help distribute information on tobacco use and health at the
Tobacco-Free Sports booth on site. Nearly 40 Get R!EAL youth coalitions
are active in schools and community-based organizations throughout Colorado.
HHS and CDC activities at the ESPN Winter X Games VIII are part of a
global Tobacco-Free Sports campaign which CDC, the World Health
Organization, and their international partners launched in Geneva,
Switzerland, in November 2001.
For more information about Tobacco-Free Sports and other tobacco and
health topics, visit CDCs Tobacco Information and Prevention Source web
site at www.cdc.gov/tobacco. To
obtain a videotape copy of the TV spots, contact the CDC Media Campaign
Resource Center at 770-488-5705, extension 2 or
mcrc@cdc.gov.
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CDC protects people's health and safety by preventing and
controlling diseases and injuries; enhances health decisions by providing
credible information on critical health issues; and promotes healthy living
through strong partnerships with local, national, and international
organizations.
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