MAY 23, 2006

WHO loses its director-general

The World Health Organization, the organization that has led the fight against tobacco sponsorship in motor racing, has lost its director-general Lee Jong-Wook. The Korean died at Geneva's University Hospital after undergoing emergency surgery to relieve a blood clot on his brain. The 61-year-old had suffered a stroke earlier in the day. Lee was elected to lead the WHO for a five-year term in 2003. Lee's deputy, Anders Nordstrom of Sweden, will be acting director-general until a replacement is decided upon.

It is unlikely that the disappearance of Lee will lead to any change in the WHO's anti-tobacco stance with pressure continuing to implement the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.