[Intl-tobacco] Austria: Formula 1 pulls out over tobacco ad ban

[Robert Weissman]

END OF THE ROAD FOR AUSTRIA: ECCLESTONE - Sky Sports

 Monday, January 27, 2003


 Ecclestone: looking away from Europe

 Bernie Ecclestone insists Austria will stage its last Formula One race
at Spielberg this year despite having a contract until 2006.

 "We'll be racing for the last time in Spielberg on May 18 this year -
then it's over," Ecclestone said.

 "Of course we had a contract with Spielberg until 2006, but with an
exit clause that's now come into effect," he said.

 "Your (Austria's) health minister is the one to blame because he agreed
to bringing forward the ban on tobacco advertising."

 The ban by the European Union has been brought forward to end-2005 from
end-2006.

 "In 2004 we're racing in Shanghai and Bahrain, 2005 in Istanbul, then
in Russia. It's possible that we then only have five or six
 races in central Europe," he said.

 Asked whether Austria would be one of those sites, Ecclestone said:
"The decision is final."

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