HRVATSKI ZBOR SPORTSKIH NOVINARA

The Tokyo Olympics Games are a hot argument in these days. We have decided to organise an open discussion about the future of this important event with some colleagues, who have participated in many editions of the Games. It is necessary to clarify some points regarding the situation to avoid speculations.

The third edition of the AIPS Sport Media Awards recorded an outstanding total of 1871 submissions from 129 nations around the globe. All continents are represented, making the AIPS SMA the most global award in sports journalism industry.

  LAUSANNE, December 31, 2020 - 2021 will be the year of Hope. The Hope that a vaccine will help us wake up from the nightmare that we have been experiencing since last February. The Hope that the world will work together to find new solutions to go back to the normal life. The Hope that the word lockdown will be forgotten. The Hope of rebuilding the credibility of our profession, because fake news is our Coronavirus. The Hope of returning to work and living the sport life again… 

Milka Babović rođena je 27. listopada 1928. u Skoplju. Školovala se kroz vihor rata u Sarajevu i Rumi, maturirala u Beogradu. U dogovoru s obitelji obavještavamo javnost da se sućuti mogu slati na adresu: HZSN, Perkovčeva 2, 10000 Zagreb, ili e-poštom na This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. document.getElementById('cloakeadc92343eb93bab7a2bcfa7b85da9bb').innerHTML = ''; var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; var addyeadc92343eb93bab7a2bcfa7b85da9bb = 'hzsn' + '@'; addyeadc92343eb93bab7a2bcfa7b85da9bb = addyeadc92343eb93bab7a2bcfa7b85da9bb + 'hzsn' + '.' + 'hr'; var addy_texteadc92343eb93bab7a2bcfa7b85da9bb = 'hzsn' + '@' + 'hzsn' + '.' + 'hr';document.getElementById('cloakeadc92343eb93bab7a2bcfa7b85da9bb').innerHTML += ''+addy_texteadc92343eb93bab7a2bcfa7b85da9bb+'';

It has been officially confirmed at the last Executive Committee meeting, held on November 25: the AIPS 2021 Congress will be postponed to the first half of March 2022 in Italy.

Amazing stories, stunning pictures, profound documentaries and in-depth audio files are coming day after day from every corner of the world, as the race for the AIPS Sport Media Awards enters its last decisive two weeks.

MADRID, September 14, 2020 - The second week of the Tour de France has left a clearer picture of the favourites to win the competition, as well as a few surprises among the riders that are completely out of the fight for the overall victory of the 107th edition of the race.

Statistics have shown that majority of journalism students are female, yet bylines and newsrooms remain male-dominated. From pay disparity to sexual harrassment, the challenges women are having to face on the job are glaring, but even the limited progress that has been made so far on gender equality and women’s rights is now being threatened by the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 1st AIPS World e-Conference held on July 2 left a permanent mark in the sports media environment. Journalists from more than 130 countries gathered on the virtual stage to discuss about the future of our profession and independence in the new reality shaped by the pandemic.

On the occasion of the World Sports Journalists Day and the 96th anniversary of the International Sports Press Association, that will be celebrated on Thursday, July 2, AIPS is proud to launch the first AIPS e-Conference: “Has Covid-19 affected journalists’ independence and future?”

The AIPS Sport Media Awards 2020 come in a year where passion, dedication and boldness are the keywords to help the world of sports journalism recover from the disruptive effects caused by the pandemic.  More than any other edition, this year they represent the celebration of sports media excellence and the inexhaustibility of sports values around the world.

ZAGREB, May 7, 2020 - A few days after the partial reopening of training for professional athletes, Croatian sport faces a twofold challenge: to prepare for a prudent return to sports and give financial support to deal with the instability of the sports sector and all its employees.

Najuspješniji bosanskohercegovački sportaši, među kojima su Amel Tuka, Larisa Cerić, Damir Džumhur, Mesud Pezer, Hamza Alić, Lejla Tanović i mnogi drugi zatražili su od vlasti u BiH da se  financiranje sporta osigura kroz rebalanse proračuna kako bi se  spriječilo njegovo  propadanje.

Iako smo u vremenu koje je iznimno zahtjevno i koje je novinarstvo svelo na neke druge oblike, dobro novinarstvo nije i neće izumrijeti. A mi govorimo o sportskom novinarstvu, kojim se Hrvatska može ponositi, kao i sa svojim sportom!

LAUSANNE, April 10, 2020 – The AIPS e-College initiative continues to gather momentum as former IOC head of marketing, Michael Payne, returned on April 9 for another engaging Zoom session with nearly 100 enthusiastic Young Reporters from across the world.

LAUSANNE, April 3, 2020 - “What you’ve achieved here, with only a three days notice, is remarkable,” said Michael Payne, the top guest, surrounded by books — including his own, Olympic Turnaround — in his home, as he met 80 Young Reporters from four continents in a Zoom session.

LAUSANNE, March 30, 2020 The International Olympic Committee (IOC), The International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Government of Japan today agreed new dates for the Games of the XXXII Olympiad, in 2021. The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 will be celebrated from 23 July to 8 August 2021. They also agreed on new dates for the Paralympic Games, which will be celebrated from 24 August until 5 September 2021.

VIGEVANO, March 27, 2020 - The task force “Here We Go”, led by John Coates and  Christope Dubi, has begun consultations with the international federations and the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee to determine the window in the 2021 international calendar where the Games will be included.

VIGEVANO, March 24, 2020 - Finally the decision desired by everyone has come: Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will take place in 2021, announced in a joint statement by Thomas Bach, president of the IOC, and Shinzo Abe, Japanese Prime Minister.

Nakon zemljotresa koji je pogodio Zagreb podrška Zagrebu i Hrvatskoj ne prestaje stizati sa svim strana. Uključili su se gradovi, države, sportaši, kulturni djelatnici ...

VIGEVANO, March 18, 2020 - Let me tell you this: in my heart I continue to dream that the Tokyo Olympics will take place as planned, because then it would mean that we would have been able to completely block the Coronavirus. But I now live in a Red Zone, where there is limited life, and my reality suggests an unfortunately different hypothesis for the near future.

LAUSANNE, February 13, 2020 - The success story of the AIPS Sport Media Awards is neither a coincidence, nor did it happen by accident or by a streak of good luck.

BUDAPEST, February 2, 2020 - It’s 7 pm and the ballroom at Hotel Corinthia is filled with expectation. Inside, the AIPS Sport Media Awards are celebrating the very best sports journalists and storytellers from around the world.

  LAUSANNE – With five days to the AIPS Sport Media Awards ceremony, which will crown the best sports storytellers from across the world at the Corinthia Hotel Budapest on February 3, AIPS Media has compiled five interesting facts to bear in mind for the big occasion.

WASHINGTON, January 22, 2020 - My name is Lucy Meyer and I am the Official Spokesperson for the Special Olympics-UNICEF USA Partnership and a Special Olympics athlete. After graduating high school last year, I decided to take a gap year to help children with disabilities around the world.

LAUSANNE, January 15, 2020 - Following an intriguing process that began with accepting submissions on April 16, 2019, the second edition of the AIPS Sport Media Awards has been immense in quality, impact and universality, and today, AIPS is proud and honored to announce the Top 3 finalists in each of the Awards’ main categories.

LAUSANNE, December 10 - With less than one month left to the celebration of world's sport media excellence, AIPS is proud to announce the names of the top ten journalists who competed in the Video categories of the AIPS Sport Media Awards: Athlete Profile, Documentary, Short Feature. The chosen journalists passed a strict selection and will be the roster of the potential finalists, expecting the three names will be unveiled on January 15, 2020.

MALTA, January 7, 2020 - For the second time in his career, Rafael Nadal - one of greatest tennis players of all times was chosen as the European Sportsman of the Year by journalists from 43 AIPS Europe national associations.

LAUSANNE, December 30, 2019 – Argentina and FC Barcelona genius Lionel Messi was voted the AIPS Best Male Athlete of 2019, edging long distance legend Eliud Kipchoge into second place. The award for Best Female Athlete went to the USA gymnastics star Simone Biles for the 2nd year in a row: this is the result of a poll by the International Sports Press Association (AIPS), where a panel of 331 journalists from 102 countries voted for the Champions of 2019.

Best wishes, AIPS Media

Društvo športnih novinarjev Slovenije je na Športniku leta podelilo nagrade najboljšim slovenskim športnikom leta 2019. Najboljša športnika sta športna plezalka Janja Garnbret in kolesar Primož Roglič, najboljša ekipa pa moška odbojkarska reprezentanca.

BUDAPEST, December 10, 2019 - The Patronage Committee for the 83rd edition of the AIPS Congress gathered yesterday morning at the Corinthia Hotel in Budapest, for the inaugural meeting in view of the congress and the 2nd edition of the AIPS Sport Media Awards. The Committee reunites eminent personalities from political and sporting institutions, who will support the the local organising committee.

LAUSANNE, November 25, 2019 – After another inspiring year of sport and sports journalism, AIPS opens the usual end-of-the-year poll to choose the very best from this rich and exciting year of sport.

The AIPS Sport Media Awards have been receiving works from around the world and there are just three days left to the deadline for submissions.

BUDAPEST, September 11, 2019 – Budapest, a flourishing hive of top-level global sports competitions, will be the host of the 83rd AIPS Congress scheduled for February 3-6, 2020, while also promising a grand and exotic ceremony for the 2nd AIPS Sport Media Awards on the night of February 3.

LAUSANNE, August 23, 2019 - The clock is ticking. We are only 45 days away from October 7, the deadline for submitting your work for the AIPS Sport Media Awards. And we have decided to celebrate it with 45 things you must know about the Awards.

TOKYO, July 24, 2019 - The design for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic medals were unveiled on Wednesday, exactly one year to the event’s opening ceremony, during a special countdown occasion held at the Tokyo International Forum.

LAUSANNE, July 2, 2019 - This 2nd of July invites us to reflect on what our future will be if we do not react to the attacks that come at us from many quarters.

Rukometaši skopskog Vardara novi su europski prvaci nakon što su u nedjeljnom finalu Lige prvaka odigranom u Koelnu pobijedili mađarski Veszprem sa 27-24 (16-11) te drugi put u klupskoj povijesti osvojili pehar ovog elitnog klupskog natjecanja, a hrvatski reprezentativac Igor Karačić proglašen je najboljim igračem finalnog turnira.

LAUSANNE, May 28, 2019 - What a season! With sport there’s always a story. And with a story, there’s a potential submission for the AIPS Sport Media Awards, the international prize that chooses the best storytellers across all platforms – By Martin Mazour, AIPS Media.

BUDAPEST, May 18, 2019 – Women’s sport is making history in Budapest, where for the first time the UEFA Women’s Champion’s League final is being held on its own – in a separate venue and city of its own, away from the shadow of the men’s game. On the day of the final this achievement was marked by another – the international conference on Empowering women in sport and sport media hosted by the Hungarian Sports Journalists’ Association.

ZAGREB, April 8, 2019 – On June 3, 1948, the Board of the Croatian Journalists Society adopted the proposal of 'Narodni Sport' (Peoples Sport) newspaper journalists to establish a section of journalists to write for physical culture sections.

ZAGREB, February 23, 2019 - Jura Ozmec will serve as president of the Croatian Sports Journalists Association (CSJA) for another four years alongside Marijan Bakić, who retained his position as CSJA secretary general.

We wish to remind you to cast your vote for the AIPS 2018 Best Athletes, Teams, and Press Facility NOW! Voting will remain open until Midnight, December 30, 2018.

Dear colleagues, dear friends, I hope you are all well, especially those who were in Ohrid and had to return to their homes.

The Turkish Olympic Committee (TOC), awardee of the Willi Daume World Trophy of the International Fair Play Committee (CIFP) for promotion of Fair Play, announces its 1st World Fair Play Photo Contest.

As you know, in October, 25-28, we will meet and play football on Ohrid, I am sure in good organization, as it was last time.

Još su nam 4 tjedna ostala do kraja prijava za AIPS Nagradu za sportske novinare. Čak 24 nagrade u 6 osnovnih kategorija dijelit će se u siječnju u Lausanni, ali se do 17.9. treba prijaviti na www.aipsawards.com što prije.

Datum održavanja je 25. do 28. oktobar.

Želeći potaknuti stvaranje i širenje pozitivnih slika o korektnom ponašanju u svim područjima ljudskog djelovanja na nacionalnoj i međunarodnoj razini, Turski olimpijski odbor (TOO) organizirao je 1.  svjetski fotografski natječaj na temu fair playja (TOC 1st World Fair Play Photo Contest).

The 81th AIPS Congress, set to be held in Brussels next week (May 7-10), will be the perfect venue for discussing the future of sports journalism, but at the same time, taking a look at the present working conditions of our colleagues in print, radio, TV and digital.

Special Olympics Croatia is delighted to announce that it has signed a partnership agreement with the Croatian Sports Journalists Association.

Croatia just finished 66. Journalists Voting organised by Daily paper SN for the best Croatian athletes, with live TV coverage on the National TV.

BUCHAREST, November 25, 2017 – On Friday, December 2, 1927 121 sports journalists gathered for a historic milestone for the future of Romanian sports media - the Sports Press Asscoation was born!

At the annual Congress in Stara Pazova, Serbia, the Southeast European Sports Journalists Association (SEESJA) appealed to countries in the region to prevent violence at sporting events and to push for the harsher and faster punishment of hooligans.

Željko Obradović (57) najtrofejniji europski klupski trener, ima devet naslova prvaka Europe, i to s pet različitih klubova – piše Dražen Brajdić, novinar VL.

U finalu ovogodišnjeg EuroBasketa za košarkaše u Istanbulu igrat će Slovenija i Srbija, nakon što je Slovenija u prvom polufinalu nadigrala branitelja naslova Španjolsku sa 92-72, Srbija je pobijedila Rusiju sa 87-79.

Petroviću je ovo treći mandat na čelu hrvatske reprezentacije jer bio je izbornik i na Eurobasketu u Turskoj 2001. kada su naši košarkaši izgubili u nesretnom četvrtfinalu protiv domaćina prvenstva – piše Dražen Brajdić, novinar VL. Na predstojećem Eurobasketu reprezentacije s prostora bivše države doista će imati klasu na klupi. Najveće igračko ime svakako je bio srpski izbornik Aleksandar Đorđević (49). “Sale Nacionale” s reprezentacijom poslijeratne Jugoslavije svedene na Srbiju i Crnu Goru bio je i svjetski prvak (1998.) i višestruki europski prvak (1995. i 1997.), osvajač olimpijskog srebra (1996.), ali i europski klupski prvak s Partizanom 1992. godine.   A to je bio jedan od dva finala koja su najviše odredila Đorđevićevu karijeru. Njegova trica za pobjedu nad Joventutom, baš kao i 41 koš u finalu Eurobasketa 1995. košarkaške su priče koje se u Srbiji prenose s koljena na koljeno. Hrvati ga, nažalost, pamte po trici sa sirenom za pobjedu na Eurobasketu 1997. Okušao se Đorđević, nakratko i u NBA ligi, i to u Portland Trail Blazersima, ali se nakon odigranih osam utakmica i postignutih 25 koševa brzo vratio shvativši da svoju glad iza igranjem utažiti može jedino u Europi.   Vujošević bez Eurobasketa    Europski klupski prvak, i to s Cibonom, još tamo 1985. godine, bio je i hrvatski izbornik Aleksandar Petrović (58). U to vrijeme “Aca Trica” bio je i reprezentativac reprezentacije bivše SFRJ pa se okitio broncom s Olimpijskih igara u Los Angelesu, broncama sa svjetskih prvenstava u Kolumbiji (1982.) i Španjolske (1986.), ali i broncom s Eurobasketa 1987. održanog u Grčkoj.   Igračku karijeru, ali skromnu i kratku, imao je i crnogorski izbornik Bogdan Tanjević (70) koji je vrlo mlad (s 24) okačio tenisice o klin i odmah počeo jesti trenerski kruh sa sedam kora. Dogodilo se to baš kada je odlučio napustiti OKK Beograd i prijeći u Oriolik iz Slavonskog Broda, no kako je to ljeto proveo u svom Sarajevu, gradu u kojem je odrastao, neočekivano je dobio ponudu da bude prvi trener. Dogodilo se to jer se čelnicima tadašnjeg drugoligaša Bosne svidjelo kako je to ljeto radio s njihovim klincima.   O igračkoj karijeri Duška Vujoševića (58), izbornika Bosne i Hercegovine, koje neće biti na Eurobasketu, jako se malo zna. A kako i bi kada je trenerom odlučio postati već sa 17 godina. Baš kao i Tanjević, koji je s četiri godine napustio rodnu Pljevlju, i Vujošević je rođen u Crnoj Gori, ali se već s pet godina preselio u Beograd.   Ako je pak i logično da on kao Crnogorac jednog dana, pa bio to i smiraj Tanjevićeve karijere, postane izbornik svoje zemlje, nemalo je iznenađujuće bilo kada je izbornikom nacionalno slojevite i osjetljive Bosne i Hercegovine postao čovjek koji je svoju karijeru izgradio kao otac modernog Partizana. Dule je Partizanu donio pet naslova prvaka, regionalne, Jadranske lige, a 2009. bio je i euroligaški trener godine jer je crno-bijele odveo u Final Four Eurolige. No nije to bio jedini euroligaški Final Four koji je igrao s Partizanom jer zbilo se to i 1988. u Gentu, godinu prije no što će Jugoplastika krenuti u svoj trogodišnji veličanstveni euroligaški niz.   Puno više trenerskih uspjeha imao je 12 godina stariji Tanjević koji se može pohvaliti da je bio europski klupski prvak (1979.), a 20 godina poslije i europski reprezentativni prvak (1999.). Klupski mu je to pošlo za rukom s Bosnom, za koju su tada igrali Delibašić, Varajić i Radovanović, a reprezentativno s Italijom koju su tada predvodili Gregor Fučka i Carlton Myers.    Boša zvan – uspjeh   Osim jugoslavenski, bio je Boša i klupski prvak Italije, Francuske i Turske koju je pak, kao izbornik, 2010. odveo do svjetskog srebra na Svjetskom prvenstvu odigranom u Turskoj. O tako velikim dometima slovenski izbornik Igor Kokoškov (45) zasad samo sanja. Ovaj mladi srpski stručnjak kojem su Amerikanci dodijelili svoju putovnicu ime je stekao kao pomoćni trener nekoliko NBA klubova (LA Clippers, Detroit, Cleveland, Orlando, Utah Jazz), a nakon što je sedam godina bio izbornik Gruzije, prošlo je ljeto u ruke dobio nacionalnu selekciju Slovenije. A naši sjeverni susjedi nadaju se da ih Kokoškov, zajedno s Goranom Dragićem i Lukom Dončićem može već na ovom Eurobasketu odvesti do povijesnog uspjeha.   Tome se nada i hrvatski izbornik Aleksandar Petrović, posljednji trener koji je s reprezentacijom Hrvatske osvojio medalju na velikom natjecanju. Bilo je to 1995. u Ateni, baš kada je Saša Đorđević s najvišeg postolja gledao kako Hrvati napuštaju postolje ne želeći slušati “Hej, Slaveni” i gledati njega i drugove s visoko podignuta tri prsta, simbolom četničkih razaranja po Hrvatskoj.   Petroviću je ovo treći mandat na čelu hrvatske reprezentacije jer bio je izbornik i na Eurobasketu u Turskoj 2001. kada su naši košarkaši izgubili u nesretnom četvrtfinalu protiv domaćina prvenstva.   Đorđeviću će pak ovaj Eurobasket biti prilika i za treću izborničku medalju sa Srbijom. Nakon što su Srbi u Ateni 2004. bili tek 11., a potom izostali s dvojih sljedećih Olimpijskih igara (2008. i 2012.) i nakon što su u 12 godina osvojili samo jednu medalju (srebro na EP-u 2009.), Sale Nacionale pojavio se kao spasitelj. Najprije je na SP-u Španjolskoj (2014.) osvojio svjetsko srebro, a dvije godine kasnije, u Riju, i olimpijsko srebro. A do njega su Srbi došli i zahvaljujući tijesnoj četvrtfinalnoj pobjedi nad Hrvatima koji bi im preprekom mogli biti i na ovom Eurobasketu. I to u osmini finala.     PRENOSIMO Večernji list PIŠE Dražen Brajdić FOTO Hrvoje Jelavić/Pixell

The AIPS Executive Committee, during a teleconference on Monday, assessed the peremptory request of the coalition of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and UAE for Qatar to shut down Al Jazeera and all its connected networks including the sports network BeIn, and unanimously ruled that such a demand is in no way acceptable.

SEOUL, May 10, 2017 - A milestone congress for the International Sports Press Association (AIPS), a new elected president for South Korea and a remarkable presence and speech from IAAF president Lord Sebastian Coe inaugurated the 80th AIPS Congress held this year in Seoul and PyeongChang, host city of the upcoming 2018 Winter Olympics.

SEOUL, May 8, 2017 – In less than a year the epicenter of international sport is set to shift towards the Asian continent, with the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, and 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo. In anticipation of the shift that will have a significant mark on sports journalism as a whole, the International Sports Press Association (AIPS) will hold its milestone elective 80th Congress in the home of next year’s Winter Games, in Seoul and PyeongChang, South Korea.   The Congress will bring together more than 250 delegates and guests for five days of discussions and debate on the state of the profession and the issues plaguing international sport including freedom of the press, integrity, corruption and doping. Those present for the Congress will also have the opportunity to hear from IAAF President Sebastian Coe directly on the ongoing issue transparency as the world of athletics faces a crucial couple of months ahead of the World Championships in London in August.   Focus on Asia   The organizers of the Tokyo 2020 will provide the Congress with an overview of the state of preparations and the press conditions for the next Summer Olympic Games, while representatives of FISU will offer details on media services for the 2017 Summer Universiade in Taipei to be held this summer. Further focus on Asia will be detailed through an overview of the 2019 FINA World Championships in Gwangju and the 5th Asian Indoor Games in Turkmenistan in September.   Panel on journalism   Journalists from more than 100 countries will hear about the UEFA Women's EURO 2017 to be held in the Netherlands in July in a historic increased format of 16 teams, while one of the main highlights of the Congress will be the Panel on investigative journalism to be led by Germany’s Hajo Seppelt, who broke the story on state-organized doping of Russian athletes in 2014.   AIPS Executive Committee member Jean Paul Savart will speak about the issues facing journalists’ access to sources and radio rights with a focus on the monopoly of radio broadcast rights at the 2017 edition of the IHF World Cup held in France in January.   After two full days in the South Korean capital of Seoul, the Congress will move to PyeongChang, where the stay will include visit of the venues for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, with nine months to go.   Elective Congress   Along with starting the Olympic countdown to PyeongChang 2018, the 80th AIPS Congress is also be elective in nature, marking a new four-year term for the association’s leadership. The final full day of the Congress in PyeongChang will include elections for the positions of president, vice president, treasurer and for the members of the Executive Committee. Elections will also be held for the Executive Committees of AIPS Europe and AIPS Africa.   “Korea is a safe country”   The 80th edition will be the third time that Korea hosts the AIPS Congress, after successful outings in 1987 and more recently in 2011.   President of the Korea Sports Press Union (KSPU), the organizers of the 2017 Congress, Mr Hee Don Jung expressed his pride at welcoming so many journalists and members of the AIPS family back to Korea, during what may seem to many as a difficult political climate for the Asian nation.   “We has had a tumultuous political period leading up to the 80th Congress, but as I have assured many of our colleagues, South Korea is completely safe and ready to host journalists from all over the world for what I believe will be a very successful Congress,” Hee Don said, adding that the organizers had received full support from the Korean government, who will welcome a new head of state after the presidential elections on Tuesday, May 9th.   “The AIPS Congress is the ideal platform for discussing the current state of sports journalism, which is facing a number of serious issues connected to the rapid advance of commercialism and the lack of access to sources and venues for journalists. All of this will be discussed in the upcoming days.”   The KSPU president and AIPS Executive Committee member expressed his delight that so many journalists will have the opportunity to see that PyeongChang is ready to host the 2018 Winter Games in what says will be the best edition yet.   by Sonja Nikcevic, AIPS Media

Group photo for the participants to the AIPS Europe Media Summit in visit to the Hungarian Parliament in Budapest on March 27, 2017. Holding the AIPS Historical Book in the center Mr. Béla Dankó, Member of the Hungarian Parliament.

GRAZ, March 21, 2017 - More than six years of war in Syria has destroyed so much. It has killed more than 400,000 people and forced 11m to flee. Still, it has done nothing to dampen the enthusiasm of the Syrian Special Olympics team.     Delegation president Tariff Kutrache explained the troubles they have overcome but also the happiness surrounding him.   He said: "To be honest our athletes and I are very happy that we got a chance to participate in the Special Olympics in Austria. Even with all the hard times and difficulties we went through to come here."   The war has affected everyone in Syria. Danger is everywhere but, for people with intellectual disabilities, even more of a threat. They do not know exactly what is happening and in many cases, are the first to meet with misfortune.   Most of Syria's athletes participating in this year's Special Olympics Winter Games in Austria have already been displaced from destroyed homes to safer ground.   In preparations for the Olympics they also had problems with equipment; for example, they did not have skates as this is their first time competing in speedskating.   Kutrache said: "It was challenging for us but the hope and hunger we had to be with whole world here was bigger. We wanted to show that Syrian people are strong."   The delegation features six athletes competing in three different sports; speedskating (Alshaghouri Nour and Baz Ali), cross-country skiing (Houzni Fadi Masoun, Baz Ali and Naser Eddin) and snowshoeing (Skeif Abdullah).   Kutrache added: "We always try to show them the good side of the world, and not the bad side. What sport does is distract them from the war, it inspires them and all the practice they have done for this event made them happy."   Some of the athletes are travelling abroad for the first time in their lives. To travel by plane or by train was a whole new experience they liked. Austria offered them a warm welcome and the Austrians made them feel no strangers here.   "Our athletes are having a most wonderful experience in Austria," said Kutrache. "They see the big difference between being here and in Syria but they will always be proud of their country no matter the situation."   The future of Syria is unknown, as Kutrache said: "Only God knows what will happen next. It is really hard to know about future of Syria, not the next week, not the next day, but the next hour. It really makes it difficult for us, we always have to be ready for everything and it makes our life tough."   Over the last six years the delegation has lost contact with many of its past Special Olympic athletes. Certain areas they cannot enter where athletes are unable to do what they like the most.   Kutrache added: "These people have suffered the most as they are informed last if something bad happens . . . We are reconnecting with the whole of Syria and until now we have done a very good job."   The Special Olympics have given Syria's athletes space to think positively and, for a short time, to be far away from war. They can sleep and eat peacefully, the whole world is supporting them and taking care of them.   Kutrache concluded: "We have great belief in the people surrounding us. From Austria, from USA, from Europe, human beings from everywhere are going to win. War will never win, OK, it might cause damage, but never can war be the end of our lives."   Tomislav Cvitan, AIPS Young Reporter, Croatia

We would like to cordially inform you that from January, 1, 2017, the headquarters of the International Sports Association (AIPS) will move to the following address:

  On Sunday, December 18, in HRT Studio 5 was live transmission of the 65. Sportske novosti "The best athletes" celebration. In the pole was involved 355 jourbalists from 57 redactions, and here are they voted for:

In behalf of SEESJA, Nikola Lipovac sent a letter of condolences to Turkish colleagues, but also to Turkish people, after saturday's night's horror in Istanbul

The Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) has opened its new House of Football – funded with UEFA's help – at Boyana, on the outskirts of the capital Sofiа

Charles Camenzuli, Secretary General of the AIPS Europe, is in Zagreb. He was invited by the Organizing Committee of the European University Games, because AIPS Europe and the European University Sports Association (EUSA) signed a cooperation protocol 4 months ago and Mr. Camenzuli came to the Opening Ceremony in Zagreb as an official representative of AIPS Europe. Apart from attending the Opening Ceremony on Wednesday evening, Mr. Camenzuli met with the organizers to obtain more precise information about the organization of this major sporting event, but also to draw the organizers' attention to the fact that the influence and work of the Croatian Sports Journalists Association had been neglected in the process of the organization of the Games. This is the reason why the young journalists project, a kind of journalist training for journalists – beginners from several European countries, was not implemented. CSJA officials took the opportunity and met with Mr. Camenzuli; CSJA President Jura Ozmec and Secretary General Nikola Lipovac shared their views on the upcoming AIPS Europe and AIPS elections, but also especially emphasized the importance and influence of the Southeast Europe Sport Journalists Association (SEESJA) in the overall activities of the AIPS Europe. Mr. Camenzuli confirmed to the CSJA representatives that he was going to run for the office of the AIPS Europe President at the elections in Korea next year. He also said that the Hungarians were going to organize the AIPS Europe Congress in Budapest, probably in March 2017, based on the last year's Belarus model. The CSJA opinion on that is clear – we think that such gatherings are superfluous, especially in election years, so that the CSJA will probably send a representative to Budapest, because one can drive from Croatia to Budapest. But we believe that most European countries will not have the financial means to do so, so that the Congress will turn into a pleasant and non-binding gathering of a smaller number of European sports journalists, who will not have the quorum to discuss serious topics or the preparation of the AIPS Europe election only one month later in Korea. Many issues interesting to journalists in Europe are certainly in the interest of Croatian sports journalists, so that the meeting with Mr. Camenzuli had a constructive and encouraging tone. As it had been doing so far through SEESJA, AIPS Europe and AIPS, the CSJA would keep advocating modern views and advancement of the journalists' profession in Europe and the rest of the world. All participants of the meeting agreed with that.

Ratko Rudić is the only water polo coach, who has won both the world and Olympic titles with as many as three national teams (the former Yugoslavia, Italy and Croatia). With his teams, he has won a total of four Olympic gold medals and one bronze medal, which makes him unequalled in that respect, too – written by Anton Filić, Večernji List

A new milestone in the world of sport journalism was set Monday at the Louvre Museum in Paris with the launch of the Sport Media Pearl Awards, managed by the International Sports Press Association (AIPS) and hosted by Abu Dhabi Media (ADM). The awards stand to recognise the work of everyone behind the scenes, the sport industry’s ‘hidden soldiers’; shedding light on what they have been doing to keeping sports the international language spoken by all. Abu Dhabi Media is no stranger to focusing on sports through its diverse platforms making it one of the fastest growing multi-platform media and entertainment organizations in the Middle East.The awards represent a new platform for the celebration and development of sport media excellence among key industry practitioners and enthusiasts across the globe.