FIFA's policy on tobacco
Initiative description: Effectively communicating FIFA’s policy on tobacco to relevant stakeholders, such as FIFA and Q22 staff, official site contractors, volunteers and attendees, before and during test events and the tournament, through verbal announcements, signage, and direct warnings. This will include the development and implementation of codes of conduct, training and guidance for event staff and volunteers, as well as a monitoring and enforcement procedure for each event site to define how to address any non-compliance with FIFA’s tobacco-free policy as well as related local laws.
No smoking or vaping at FIFA World Cup 2022™ stadiums
Any major sporting event, including the FIFA World Cup™, can also present certain risks to the health of attendees and participants when they are exposed to second-hand smoke.
To protect the health and safety of athletes, spectators, and the workforce, FIFA introduced a smoking prohibition at the FIFA World Cup™ in 2002, and in 2017 published the Event Policy on Tobacco in order to respect and protect the right of the majority of the population, who are non-smokers, to breathe clean air. Qatar’s national legislation already prohibits smoking in public spaces.
The FIFA policy prohibits smoking and vaping in all official FIFA World Cup™ sites (except in outdoor smoking areas, when these are made available), and forbids all links with the tobacco industry in any form by banning all tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, and all sales of tobacco products or related tobacco products within event sites.
To implement the policy, the organisers delivered awareness-raising programmes, no-smoking/no vaping signage and monitored infringements on Match Days. All preparatory events have implemented the policy.
At previous test events such as the FIFA Club World Cup 2019™, FIFA Club World Cup 2020™ and FIFA Arab Cup 2021™, stewards and spectator services volunteers were trained in the implementation of the Tobacco Approach & Enforcement Procedure. In total, across all test events, over 800 stewards and 45 volunteers received training to ensure smoking did not take place in prohibited areas leading to relatively low levels of smoking recorded inside the stadium bowl.
At the FIFA Club World Cup 2019™, Outdoor Designated Smoking Areas were set up which proved useful in eliminating smoking inside the stadiums and its perimeter, effectively protecting non-smokers from second-hand smoke. For the 2020 edition and the FIFA Arab Cup 2021™, due to COVID protocols, a full smoking ban was implemented at the stadiums.
Tournament organisers have also worked closely with Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) to help implement FIFA´s Event Policy on Tobacco for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™. This support has included, for example, identifying and approving the location and size of Outdoor Designated Smoking Areas and deployment of MoPH Inspectors during match time to help curb smoking.