NEXT YEAR'S International Cricket Council's World Cup (CWC) could be "smoke-free" if the National Committee for Prevention of Alcoholism and Drug Dependency (NCPADD) gets its wish.

The body, which is attached to the International Commission for the Prevention of Alcoholism and Drug Dependency (ICPA), is hoping to convince the officials of the CWC that this would be a great idea.

Victor Roach, president of the Caribbean bloc of the ICPA and head of NCPADD, said his organisation would be continuing to campaign to have limited designated smoking areas during the games. It has been agreed that they will be such areas and the hierachy of the CWC is soon expected to make an announcement on the matter.

"It was like knocking an open door because we later learnt that World Cup 2003 in South Africa was smoke free. There was no smoking in the stands; it was done in designated areas and there were public announcements that kept the patrons informed and signs reminding about that policy," Roach said.

He is urging the Caribbean Community governments to enact legislation to prohibit public smoking during matches in the tournament which runs from March 5 to April 27 in Barbados, Jamaica, St Lucia, St Kitts, Antigua, Grenada, St Vincent, Trinidad and Guyana.

"We are hoping the offices of the CWC will look at the laws of countries they operate in, and this deals with the banning of smoking in public buildings. All nine governments have a convention on tobacco control and the banning of smoking in public buildings," Roach told MIDWEEKSPORTS.

He said Caribbean lobbyists recently sought the support of the international community when a resolution was adopted at the recent international conference on tobacco in Washington DC.

In a recent report from the Caribbean Media Corporation, Roach indicated the proposal was also submitted to regional leaders who took note of it at their conference in St Kitts earlier this year, but so far there had been no feedback.

"ICPA also recognises the dangers of second-hand smoking, and the prevalence of smoking in the Caribbean and the impact of smoking on the young people in the region, and because CWC is expected to attract over 100 000 attendees and 2.2 billion viewers worldwide," Roach said.

"It would be an excellent prelude for the adoption of smoking bans by the governments and so the conference was asked to endorse and support a campaign for a smoke-free CWC.

"It is expected that the resolution adopted in Washington DC will be used as a launch pad to have CARICOM governments adopt the framework Convention on Tobacco Control. This requires those who ratify the convention within three to five years adopt laws dealing with advertising and labelling, and secondly the issue of sponsorships."