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AIPS Congress report: Wrack and Pollitt fly flag for UK in media awards

 

KEIR RADNEDGE reports from the AIPS Congress, held in Budapest between February 3-6 and which included the 2019 AIPS Sport Media Awards

AIPS Congress opened with the awards ceremony, with some notable UK presence in the three-person shortlists. Winners included Suzanne Wrack (The Guardian: best colour piece) and Stuart Pollitt (BBC: video documentary).

Shortlisted were Jeremy Wilson (Telegraph: best colour piece), and Ben Morse (CNN: young reporter).

In total AIPS received 1,746 submissions (Europe 632, Americas 434, Asia 330, Africa 309 and Oceania 41). Judging was undertaken in three stages. Keir Radnedge was one of the panel involved in the initial screening.

Other congress highlights included a high-quality panel discussion on Women in Sports Journalism and an hour-long stage Q&A with FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

Other presentations delivered by:

  • Sebastian Coe, president, World Athletics
  • Marius Vizer, president IJF
  • Martin Kallen, UEFA events ceo re Euro 2020
  • Eric Saintrond, secretary-general FISU
  • Jenő Kamuti, president, International Fair Play Committee
  • Lucia Montanarella, new head of IOC Olympic Press Operations
  • Kostas Vernikos, coordinator, Olympic Channel Broadcasting Service
  • Also FITEQ (International Teqball Federation), IFBB (body building), FIDE (International Chess Federation)

AIPS Congress business:

 AIPS-Europe reported:

  • Income in 2019-20 of $20,980 from cards
  • Expenditure $6,000
  • Balance $16,176 (similar to the previous year)
  • 4,196 cards issued (down 233) shared among 49 countries
  • Gio Lippens (Netherlands) was elected to the exco for one year to fill the vacancy created by the death of Lev Rossoshik (Russia)

 AIPS finance:

  • Income for 2019-20 reported as CHF 698,000 for the past year but auditing by Ernst & Young falls due only at the end of the month
  • The financial situation was eased by the support of the Hungarian Sports Ministry and Budapest city underwriting most of the cost of congress after AIPS itself financed the previous two congresses in Brussels and Lausanne

Statutes:

  • Congress agreed to a statutes revision after the present set was described by veteran sports legal adviser Francois Carrard as “a terrible patchwork” and “impractical”
  • A working group will be set up to provide a draft for review by the exco and then vote at an extraordinary congress within the next year
  • The statutes must fall in line with Swiss law

Young Reporters programmes:

  • Included tribute to the contribution of Keir Radnedge

Commissions:

  • The old system is being replaced by the appointment of a single ‘delegate’ who will be, in most cases, the current commission chairman (Keir Radnedge in the case of football)

AIPS cards:

  • Total so far this year 5,637 cards (heading to match the final 9,102 total in 2019)
  • Cards issued so far this year: Europe 2,821, Asia and Australia 1,671, Africa 748, Americas 398

 Next congress:

  • This will be an election congress, to be held in South Korea (Seoul), or Italy (Rome or Milan)
  • The possibility of China had been discounted
  • A decision will be taken and communicated by the exco within the next 30 days