JEDDAH: Plans are under way to limit smoking at sports events to special areas this coming season, in preparation for a complete ban in the future. The demarcated areas for smoking were ordered by Prince Nawaf Bin Faisal Bin Fahd, President of the General Presidency of Youth Welfare (GPYW). The partial ban will be accompanied by a massive campaign to combat smoking that will end with a decision to ban smoking completely at sports events. Prince Faisal had earlier overseen the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Anti-Smoking Charity Association (NAQA) and Yazeed Al-Rajhi, the Saudi international rally driver. The MoU aims to educate smokers about the health risks and the negative economic and environmental effects of the addiction. NAQA has helped some 8,500 smokers quit, 60 percent of the people who had attended the association's clinics. According to the MoU, Al-Rajhi will finance and take part in some of the campaign programs.
