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Budapest, May 24, 2019 - Celebrating the 110th anniversary of the establishment of the Hungarian Sport Journalists’ Association (HSJA), the three day long program series offered a special occasion to acknowledge the professional excellence of Hungarian and foreign colleagues in sport journalism, and to reward the hard and dedicated work of those who have supported the HSJA in the past and present years.
Hungary’s architetually most unique football center, the Puskas Academy’s brand new sporthall in Felcsút was the home of the glittering Gala dinner. Where several of Hungary’s sport leaders, Olympic and World Champions, foreign sport journalist guests and members of the AIPS Executive Committe had been invited to take part in the peak event of the celebrations.
Mr. György Szöllősi, the President of HSJA in his opening speech underlined the importance of having supporters from inside and outside the sporting world, while preserving the independence of our profession. Mr. Pal Schmitt former President of Hungary, two-time fencing Olympic Champion, member of the IOC referring to the real power of sport journalism told a sweet story about his youth. How memorable that first moment was in his life, when he appeared as a bronze medalist on the back page of the daily sport paper, Nepsport many decades ago.
Gianni Merlo, President of AIPS thanked the countless efforts to preserve the status of quality work in sport journalism as opposed to the increasingly widespread phenomenon of ’fake news’. Mr. Merlo also summarized the result of the frutiful and promising negotiations had with Mr. Balázs Fürjes, the State Secretary for developing Budapest with the possibility of organizing the next AIPS Congress in the Hungarian Capital next February.
After the greeting, the Hungarian National Dance Ensemble offered a wide variety of magnificent performance on stage, from historical Hungarian dances to authentic folk performances, executing their show with unusual dynamics, and a virtuosity of the dancers.
The most uplifting moment of the Gala came afterwards, when the President of HSJA, Mr. Szöllősi, the Vice-president and AIPS Executive Committe member Dr. Csisztu Zsuzsa and the deputy State-Secretary for Sport, Mr. Peter Sárfalvi, former modern pentathlon World Champion handed out the customed made bsp; trophies for this event to more than twenty Hungarian and foreign award-winner personalities. Besides the two former Presidents of HSJA, Mr. Istvan Pajor-Gyulai, and the Honorary President and legendary radio-reporter, Mr. Zoltán Novotny several acknowledged foreign sport journalist have received the special award, such as Mr. Gianno Merlo, President of AIPS, Mr. Charles Camenzuli, President of AIPS Europe, Mr. Simon Evens leading football writer of Reuters, Marius L. Vizer, the President of IJF, or Béla Andreas Réthy, the native Hungarian and famous football commentator of the German State Television, ZDF.
As a closing element of the Gala, national associations from abroad awarded the Hungarian organisers of the Jubilee Congress with custom made gifts.
AIPS media: By Dr. Csisztu Zsuzsa LL.M.
