The Sports Bureau (ID) issued a statement yesterday to apologise for its “negligence” in the arrangements for Sunday’s prize-giving ceremony of the 70th Macau Grand Prix’s Formula 4 race, in which an underage winning racer drank champagne after the traditional spraying.
Britain’s 16-year-old racer Arvid Lindblad drank the champagne on the podium in front of scores of photographers and camera operators, as well as live broadcasts, on Sunday afternoon.
Macau’s Prevention and Control on Minors’ Consumption of Alcoholic Beverages took effect on November 5, according to which alcoholic beverages must not be provided to minors at public venues. Those providing alcoholic beverages to minors at public venues, even for non-commercial reasons, face a fine from 1,500 patacas and 20,000 patacas.
In the statement, the bureau promised to review the procedures of the Macau Grand Prix’s prize-giving ceremonies, and to continue to keep a close eye on such situations during upcoming events, reminding all the racers to strictly abide by the new law, in order to avoid the recurrence of similar incidents.
The bureau underlined that it will “proactively” cooperate with the Health Bureau’s (SSM) investigation into the incident.
According to the statement, the spraying of champagne at prize-giving ceremonies, traditionally known as a champagne shower, is a traditional celebration in major international motorsport competitions.
SSM Director Alvis Lo Iek Long said yesterday during public broadcaster TDM’s Chinese-language radio phone-in programme, Ou Mun Gwong Cheuhng, that his bureau has already initiated an investigation into the case, while also contacting the Macau Grand Prix organisers to assess the feasibility of replacing champagne with non-alcoholic fizzy drinks for the upcoming prize-giving ceremonies.
Britain’s underage F4 winner Arvid Lindblad drinks champagne during Sunday’s prize-giving podium ceremony in front of scores of photographers and camera operators in the restricted area of the 70th Macau Grand Prix (MGP) in the Outer Harbour area. – Photo courtesy of TDM
