UEFA: Smoking banned at Euro 2012 stadiums

UEFA has imposed a ban on smoking and tobacco advertising at next year's European Championship Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine, local media reported on Thursday. This has been a joint initiative launched by UEFA, the World Health Organisation, the World Heart Organisation, organizational committees in Poland and Ukraine, and local groups of support. The ban will apply in and around all eight host stadiums in Poland and Ukraine. "A tobacco-free Euro 2012 means respect for the health of our spectators and everyone else involved in the tournament," UEFA president Michel Platini was quoted as saying. The initiative has been supported by European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism, Sport, Media and Youth Androulla Vassiliou. The 16-nation Euro 2012 soccer championships, slated for June 8-July 1, 2012, will take place in four Polish cities of Warsaw, Gdansk, Wroclaw and Poznan as well as four Ukrainian cities of Kiev, Lvov, Donetsk and Kharkov.