Guinness's sponsorship of the GAA hurling championship will be reviewed this autumn. Although such assessment takes place annually there is particular focus on this year's because of growing speculation about the appropriateness of the link at a time of escalating alcohol abuse.

"The decision will be primarily for Guinness and ourselves," according to new GAA president Sean Kelly.

"There's another year to go and I think we'll keep our side of the bargain on that. We don't go pulling out in the middle of something without having a very strong reason to do so.

"I think it would be putting the wrong emphasis altogether on the sponsorship if we were to pull out and you'd be saying to most people: this is the cause of the abuse in the country." He also responded to growing indications that alcohol sponsorship of sports events may be prohibited by legislation. "If the Government legislate every sport will have to follow but what I'm saying is that it's unfair to isolate the GAA and not to take everything else on board as well. That's for the Government, not for us." The concentration of the public debate on the Guinness sponsorship was the subject of some barbed remarks by Kelly's predecessor Sean McCague at the GAA annual congress a fortnight ago. Kelly echoed those concerns.

"It reflects two things. Number one, the strength of the organisation, which is probably seen as the premier sporting organisation in the country and obviously gets more publicity as a result. The other thing is that because we do certain things, they get taken up whereas other sports when they take up sponsorships are ignored.

"At the weekend you had the Heineken Cup but I didn't hear anyone complaining about Heineken sponsoring it.

But they'll complain about the Guinness and Sean McCague was right about that but that's sometimes what we've to live with." The Guinness sponsorship is now in its ninth year and is set to run for a tenth in 2004. Since its inception in 1995 it has been complemented by some high-profile advertising campaigns, the latest of which is due for unveiling soon.

Earlier at the launch Clive Brownlee, assistant managing director of Diageo Ireland, referred to the rumbling controversy.

"We are signed up for this year and we are absolutely committed to the following year, 2004. What we must do - there's been a lot of speculation about the future - is sit down with the GAA in the autumn and talk about where we go in the future.

"We have had, we would have to say, tremendous value from this sponsorship and we would hope that it has been reciprocated on both sides - and I think Sean has already said that. There's been an awful lot of talk about whether it's right for a drinks company to sponsor sport. We believe it is when it is done in a responsible way. We believe we have done that and will continue to do that in our marketing." Kelly is in the process of establishing a task force to look at the problem of alcohol in contemporary society and how the GAA might contribute to tackling it.

"It's not set up yet. It's something I'm discussing.

There's a tendency in society to lump drink, smoking and drugs together whereas there's a great distinction. Drugs are bad. There's nothing good about drugs. Smoking - it's written on the packs: smoking kills you. But drink is seen by most people as a good commodity, that is a product, which if used properly, is very good for them and they can enjoy themselves socially. The problem is with abuse."