John Jenkins, senior public affairs officer at BMA Cymru Wales said: "We need to restrict their marketing, sale and promotion so that it is only targeted at smokers as a way of cutting down and quitting, and does not appeal to non-smokers, in particular children and young people."
A licensing regime for electronic cigarettes will not be introduced until 2016, despite moves in some countries to ban them. Rail companies earlier this month introduced rules to ban passengers using the nicotine devices. They are already banned from JD Wetherspoon pubs.
The deal in Merthyr comes just days after E-Lites, one of the leading brands of e-cigarettes in the country, were unveiled as an official partner of Derby County of the Championship. In June, Birmingham City announced a shirt sponsorship deal with Nicolites, which produces the largest brand of electronic cigarettes in the country.
Speaking tonight a spokesman for anti-smoking charity ASH said it was worried such deals could encourage children to take up e-cigarettes, but as yet there little evidence to suggest this would happen.
He said: "One of the reasons we support e-cigarettes regulation is that it will ban marketing aimed at children but allow marketing aimed at adults.
"So far around 900,000 smokers and 400,000 ex-smokers are currently using these products and there is no evidence of anyone who hasn't already been a smoker taking up e-cigarettes.
"But we need to keep an eye on how the market develops."
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