The Sports Bureau (known by its Portuguese initials ID) has paid a 1,500 pataca fine for allowing 16-year-old racer Arvid Lindblad to take a swig of champagne on the winners’ podium at the last Macau Grand Prix, Ponto Final reports.
While the government’s reaction to a customary practice in the world of racing may appear heavy-handed, Lindblad’s celebratory guzzle put him in violation of an underage drinking law that had just come into effect just days earlier. It was screened on live television, prompting a good deal of wry comment on social media.
Under the Prevention and Control on Minors’ Consumption of Alcoholic Beverages law, alcohol must not be provided to anyone under the age of 18 at public venues. Violators face fines of up to 20,000 patacas. The law also states that the parents of any minor caught drinking at a public venue must be notified.
[See more: Sports Bureau sorry for underage drinking on Macau Grand Prix podium]
The Health Bureau (known by its Portuguese initials SSM) says it imposed the minimum penalty on its fellow government department. Ponto Final reports that the fine was promptly and the case has been closed.
The SSM also confirmed that Lindblad’s parents were duly informed of the situation, and warned about the damage drinking alcohol could do to a young person’s health.
Lindblad, a British driver, won last year’s Formula 4 race in his Macau Grand Prix debut for the SJM Theodore PREMA Racing team.
