Tobacco & Vapour Free Sports

The best way to stop smoking is not to start, and in order to drive home that message Island Health teams up each year with Vancouver Island’s Junior Hockey teams and the HarbourCats baseball club.

What do smoking prevention and sports have in common?

Athletes are leaders both on and off the court and by choosing to live a tobacco and vapour-free lifestyle they are sending a compelling message to their peer group about smoking.

Players, coaches and team personnel all receive tobacco and vapour prevention training. As part of their partnership with Island Health, each team must make a number of presentations on tobacco and vapour-free sports to elementary and middle school-aged students in their region. Tobacco and vapour-free messaging is displayed at the games, along with resources for living a tobacco and vapour-free life.

Sports teams sponsored by Island Health in previous seasons:

• Victoria Cougars
• Nanaimo Buccaneers
• Comox Valley Glacier Kings
• HarbourCats

Want to support your team to be tobacco and vapour-free?

It’s easy to do. Here are some tips that can help you to promote the tobacco-free sports approach with your own team or sport:

Adopt a tobacco and vapour-free messaging policy for your team which includes:

• Tobacco and vapour-free expectations for players, coaches, trainers, staff and volunteers,
• The consequences for not adhering to policy,
• The plan for having the team sign the policy/contract, and
• How this policy will be communicated, implemented, monitored and enforced.

Take a tobacco and vapour-free pledge and challenge your teammates to do the same. Download this sample pledge form.

Educate your teammates regarding the truth about tobacco and sports. For more information, head to Play, Live, Be Tobacco-Free.