Davidoff sponsorship of a tennis event – controversy grows

Being a long-time tennis fan and a non-smoker, I as well as thousand other tennis aficionados, was shocked to hear that ubiquitous health organizations are demanding the cancellation of the sponsorship contact between Basel ATP World Tour 500 event and Davidoff Group what could result in the closure of one of the most prestigious tournaments in Men’s Calendar.
Well, let me first of all explain the issue. Public health groups and anti-tobacco advocates were blind furious to find out that the major sponsor of a tennis event held this week in Basel, Switzerland, that gathered millions spectators since 1970, is Swiss giant Davidoff, trademark that comprises many products from tobacco products to candies and perfumes. However, Davidoff is best-known for its luxury cigarette brand of the same name, which was recently acquired by Imperial tobacco several years ago.
Imperial Tobacco is the world’s fourth-biggest cigarette maker, with headquarters in London. Besides Davidoff it produces such cigarettes like R1, West, Gitanes, and UK’s number one brand Lambert & Butler.

So, it still not clear whom the public health freaks address their criticism and rage – either Imperial Tobacco, which produces Davidoff, or Davidoff Group, which makes cigars and perfumes, or even both of them.
In conformity with the reports, the public-health advocates state that sponsorships by tobacco industry were banned throughout the European Union since in 2005. But, let me remind you that Switzerland is outside of EU, so it is legal to have a tobacco company as a title sponsor here.
However, unfortunately for all tennis fans across the EU, including me, Eurosport, primary sporting broadcaster in Europe terminated the contract with the tournament organizers to show the event, when it received a warning from French anti-smoking groups, who threatened the broadcaster with the legal action in case the Davidoff Swiss Indoors Tennis Tournament is shown in their country.

And the British leading anti-smoking organization Action on Smoking and Health, which doesn’t fail to take part in every brawl where the word “cigarettes” is mentioned, wrote an open letter to Roger Federer, World number one tennis player, pushing him to skip his favorite and by the way home tournament, which he has been taking part in ever since he became professional, in order to persuade the organizers to cancel the sponsorship deal with Davidoff company.
Federer was denied any comments, and played his first-round match on Tuesday.
However, as for me, it is a pure hypocrisy, I am not a smoker, and I definitely would not take up the habit even if I see my favorite tennis players at the event sponsored by the tobacco industry. In contrary, I will be happy that this event is still sponsored at the time of the sharpest economic crisis since the Great Depression in the 1920s. I don’t really care whether it is sponsored by a tobacco company or a beer-maker. So, I consider these claims as the absurd exaggeration and a waste of taxpayers’ money.