The Kosovo Sports Journalists Association (SHGSK) organised an international conference titled “Media and Sport” in Priština and AIPS Secretary General Jura Ozmec was invited to speak about the problems in sports journalism around the world, the involvement of women in sports journalism, and the AIPS Young Reporters Programme.
Unfortunately, not many people were in the Conference Hall of the Hotel Swiss Diamond in Priština because of the Covid-19 countermeasures but the event was broadcast live for 3 hours on national TV.
It was interesting to hear from colleagues that the Kosovo Olympic Committee collaborated closely with the Kosovo Sports Journalists Association to provide funds for six journalists to be in Tokyo for the 2020 Olympic Games, which held in 2021.
The Deputy Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports of Kosovo, Ms Daulina Osmani, a former professional swimmer, was also in attendance. She presented plans of improving all the sports in Kosovo through the media. Mr Ismet Krasniqi, Kosovo Olympic Committee Chairman, was delighted with the idea of the Young Reporters Programme, saying there are many young and inexperienced sports journalists in the country, hence the President of National SJA, Edmond Thaci, together with his Executive Committee can count on his help.
Kosovo is member of AIPS. One of the newest. They unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and has since gained diplomatic recognition as a sovereign state by almost 100 member states of the United Nations.
Following the recommendations of the AIPS Secretary General, the Kosovo SJA, together with the country’s NOC, will work with the South East European Sports Journalists Association (SEESJA) to improve the sports media in Kosovo and also with AIPS to organise Young Reporters Programmes, maybe starting next year with the FISU University World Cup Handball 2022 in Kosovo.
