Covered in gold confetti, the winners of the AIPS Champions of 2021 poll, which 529 journalists from 114 countries participated in, adorn the cover of the IV/21 issue of the AIPS Magazine. This issue of the quarterly magazine, now online and ready to download, also pays tribute to Swiss lawyer François Carrard, who was a friend and dedicated supporter of AIPS and features the return of the prestigious AIPS Young Reporters Programme as well as the next steps for the fourth edition of the AIPS Sport Media Awards.
NEW YEAR MESSAGE In his editorial, AIPS President Gianni Merlo emphasised on the need for togetherness in the continuous “fight to defend our profession and credibility”. He also shared his opinion about the political boycott of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and the closed loop management system to be implemented for the duration of the Games. The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 is another big sporting event the year has to offer, just as Merlo pointed out, and AIPS Football Delegate Keir Radnedge gave a low-down on “what you need to know” for journalists covering the tournament in November (page 82).
AIPS YR PROGRAMME After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the AIPS Young Reporters Programme made a significant return in November 2021 as 21 journalists from as many countries converged on Lausanne, the Olympic capital for an intensive one-week course titled Sports Journalism Rewired. The impressions of the young reporters as well as some of their articles, including the exclusive Q&A session with IOC President Thomas Bach, are on pages 46-63.
AIPS SPORT MEDIA AWARDS The fourth edition of the AIPS Sport Media Awards received 1732 submissions from a record 133 countries even though 2021 was “the year of uneven restart for many colleagues around the world” amid the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the Director of the Awards, Martin Mazur, the amazing figure was a powerful message. A message of hope.
TRIBUTES January 2022 witnessed the passing of two key figures in the global sports industry. Former director general of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), François Carrard, the expert on issues of sports governance instrumental in delivering reform at various international federations, died on January 9 at the age of 83. A day earlier, it was announced that British investigative reporter, Andrew Jennings, who exposed corruption in the IOC and FIFA, passed away at the age of 78 after a “brief and sudden illness”. A combined six pages in the latest AIPS Magazine are dedicated to both doyens. There are also tributes to sports journalists who passed away in India, Norway, Dominican Republic, Ireland, Netherlands, Kazakhstan, Russia and Senegal.
BEST IN 2021 While you probably already know that Elaine Thompson-Herah and Robert Lewandowski were voted as the world’s best female and male athletes of the year 2021 by AIPS, this magazine also contains the best athletes of AIPS America, AIPS Europe and 60 different countries.
Many more stories can be found inside the AIPS Magazine thanks to contributions from our National Associations, Continental Sections, Delegates and Partners.
Source: AIPS