Page 30 - aips-IV-23.indd

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AIPS stresses role of sports journalism in promoting culture and heritage at Beijing International Media Forum
It was a little bit unex- pected to be invited to the International Media
Forum in Beijing - precise-
ly two forums: “Belt and
Road Journalists Forum”
and “Beijing International
Media Forum”, but AIPS
responded very quickly.
The All-China Journalists Association has been or-
ganising these forums for
several years. Journalists
from approximately 60
countries were present in
2023. The topics were dedicated to the preservation of culture and heritage.
INTRODUCING AIPS For the first time at these Forums, colleagues from the world press and China were introduced to AIPS and our role in sports journal- ism. President Gianni Merlo sent a vid- eo message about AIPS and the impor- tance of being a part of such a Forum. The Secretary General Jura Ozmec joined a panel with several well-known journalists and experts in the field to talk about the role of sports journalism in the culture of every nation
Below is an excerpt AIPS Secretary General, Jura Ozmec’s speech at the Beijing International Media Forum on October 14, 2023:
Let me start with a few questions, seem- ingly easy to answer: is sport culture? Is a sports journalist who intensively follows sports, from top sports to chil- dren's sports, a promoter of culture? How much does culture in each seg- ment of our lives depend on how we transfer the care of culture to young people, to those who come? Can, con- sequently, therefore, sport and sports
L-R: Zhang Kai (moderator), Ma Hong, Jura Ozmec, Li Xuemei, Hoda Mohamed, Guo Qiang, Jose Luis Uribe Ortega
of young people be a step towards pre- serving the entire culture not only of an individual or of one nation, but of the whole world?
In these few questions, I guess we don't need long to look for answers. Almost all questions are answered – yes. But I will dwell on the role of sports journal- ists and the importance of sports jour- nalism in preserving and promoting culture. There is not, or at least should not exist, any sporting event of interna- tional importance, which does not in- sist on making a video with the beauty of that city, of the whole country, at the peak of the television broadcast. At the opening of the Olympic Games, no one has yet missed a significant opportuni- ty to devote a large part of their time to their own culture, education, construc- tion and others, and not only to the sports aspects of the host country.
In such an atmosphere, a sports jour- nalist must be prepared to react to such a stimulus. A sports journalist simply has to study culture, he needs to know why for example the figure 8 in Chi- na is important and why the Olympic
Games in Beijing were opened on the 8th day of the 8th month, in 2008. A sporting event is fol- lowed by significantly more people than any exhibition, concert or dance performance in the world. The opening ceremo- ny of the Olympic Games remains the most-watched televi- sion event every four
years.
So if we say that sport is also part of cul- ture, and it certainly is, then we, sports journalists, need to ask ourselves if we are developing culture... Let's be the protectors of culture in every journal- istic text or television appearance. Let's educate young people to follow in our footsteps. We at AIPS have been nur- turing and building Young Reporters projects for more than 10 years. Hun- dreds of young people from a hundred countries toured the whole world, re- porting on sports, but also learning about the culture of the countries they were in. It's culture to place our chil- dren in Tian An Men, to see in person how big that square is. In addition, to teach them why the square is impor- tant for Chinese history and therefore for culture? Sending young journalists to the “Bird's Nest” to report from say the world championships in athletics is for us, sports journalists – culture. It is for us to spread and preserve culture. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe there's more, maybe I'm right... that will be judged by you, but we at AIPS think we are doing a very good job. We at AIPS will contin- uetodoso.
By Jura Ozmec
30 | AIPSMAGAZINE