APRIL 28, 2004

Turkey about to sign anti-tobacco treaty

The Turkish Health Minister Recep Akdag is in the United States this week and is expected to make Turkey the 106th nation to sign the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, committing Turkey to a sponsorship ban on all tobacco products. The race organisers have already accepted that tobacco sponsorship will not be allowed in Istanbul in August 2005, when the first event is due to be held but it seems that the Formula One group is now accepting that the future of tobacco advertising is coming to an end and rather than fighting for tobacco is simply raising the fees charged for races which want to run without tobacco.