A ban that would have outlawed the advertising of fossil fuel companies in Adelaide, South Australia has been hastily rescinded following worries that it would affect the Tour Down Under.
Gas producer Santos is the title sponsor of the WorldTour-ranked race, with the men’s and women’s events both due to be held in January. Santos and would not have been allowed to appear on billboards, banners or bus stops around the city, and the ban could have also proved problematic for team sponsors associated with fossil fuels.
The ban was revoked after Adelaide mayor Carmel Noon put forward a special motion to do so, which passed emphatically – far more so than the original bill, which only crept through.
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The original ruling had come in for strong criticism from the South Australian government, which said: “Adelaide City Council’s decision to ban the promotion of the TDU’s naming rights sponsor on council property jeopardises the future of the Tour Village.
“This will significantly impact businesses in the CBD [Central Business District] that stood to benefit from the 70,000-plus visitors which the village attracted during this year’s event.”
Another motion was passed alongside the revocation of the bill, calling for the city council to investigate the potential impact of a fossil fuel advertising ban in the city and report back by May next year. But reservations were also expressed over how this might affect the TDU.
“What worries me most, when there is a major event being planned, the details are designed to fit around the sponsors, and by not having this report until May there will be a level of uncertainty of our capacity of having the event in our city,” said Lord Mayor Jane Lomax-Smith.
City councillor Kieran Snape, who proposed the original motion, had previously said: “We’ve got a state government which is addicted to gas, addicted to fossil fuel sponsorship. It’s up to the community to stand against that.”
But he called the new bill an excellent compromise.
The men’s Tour Down Under runs from 19-24 January 2027 with the women’s running concurrently, from 22-24 January.
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