More should be done to address alcohol advertising in sports in the Northern Territory, and a good place to start would be Darwin's famous Beer Can Regatta, a leading emergency medicine doctor says.

Associate Professor Dr Diana Egerton-Warburton, from the Monash Medical Centre in Victoria, has been attending a biannual symposium held by the Australasian College of Emergency Medicine in Alice Springs.

Dr Egerton-Warburton has led a project collecting data on patients with alcohol-related harm presenting to emergency departments, which will wind up in August.

"I think advertising in sport is one of the key areas [of concern], especially an area like the NT, with all the young people," she said.

"Emergency clinicians, we're not wowsers. We don't want to take the fun out of life but we do want to make things that are inappropriate not be in a relationship together. So children and alcohol, shouldn't mix."

The Beer Can Regatta is a major community event in Darwin and is sponsored by beer company Lion's XXXX brand.

It is advertised as a family day out.

Participants collect thousands of cans to construct into boats for a novelty race that raises money for charity.

It is not the first time alcohol-sponsored events have been objected to in Darwin, where one in three of hospital emergency department patients are alcohol-affected.

Earlier this year, the Darwin City Council objected to an application to hold a 'Pints in the Park' event at Frog Hollow Park.

"Council policy states that council does not support the use of its spaces or places where the primary focus of the activity or the call to action is the selling, promotion or consumption of alcohol," Mayor Katrina Fong Lim said.

Dr Egerton-Warburton supports the recent recommendations of the Federal Standing Committee's inquiry into the harmful use of alcohol by Aboriginal communities, which recommended "banning alcohol sponsorship of sporting teams and sporting events, including but not limited to those in which children participate or may be involved".

Dr Egerton-Warburton said it was not her aim to stop a community event like the Beer Can Regatta.

Instead, she suggested another abundant waste item could be used.

"It's a win-win situation if you could turn it into something that actually solves another environmental problem," she said.

"Bottled water is actually a huge environmental problem and using something like the Regatta to emphasise the terrible waste that's involved with water, would be great."

It's not about the beer, regatta veteran says

But Jeff Dunn, an official with the event, told 105.7 ABC Darwin Dr Egerton-Warburton's concerns were ones he had heard before.

"I've been involved in the beer can regatta for 35 to 40 years. This [issue] comes around every seven or eight years. It's like the sever-year itch," he said.

Mr Dunn said the regatta was a "family day ... with events for children, like children's beach races, a special prize for a soft drink boat, along with beer can boat".

"We're not promoting beer as such, per se."

He said brewer Lion supplied "some product for us to be able to sell and raise funds for the charities we're supporting. That's the main sponsorship for the day".

Mr Dunn dismissed the suggestion the event might encourage young people to be around and drink alcohol.

"We're encouraging kids to participate in community events and come along and have fun with their families," he said.

He invited Dr Egerton-Warburton to participate next year.

"I'd like to challenge the good professor to produce a soft drink can boat. There's a very good prize and a trophy involved. If she was to come along and encourage that we'd be delighted."