TEHRAN – The International sports’ journalists seminar has been held in the Iranian capital Tehran, attended by FISU Executive Committee member Dr. Verena Burk and AIPS Secretary General Roslyn Morris, along with scores of Iranian professors and sport journalists. In a bid to enhance knowledge and expertise in sport journalism, Iranian Sports Journalists’ Association (ISJA) organized the three-day event together with AIPS and Asian Sports Press Union (ASPU). The Olympic Hotel was the Seminar venue from 15 to 17 June, 2012.
The Seminar was officially opened on Friday morning with ISJA President Dr. Abdolhamid Ahmadi reading a statement by AIPS president Gianni Merlo. The AIPS Vice-President and ISJA Secretary-General, Manouchehr Zandi, also welcomed the participants on the first day of the event. The President of the Asian Federation of Sports Medicine (AFSM), Dr. Mohammad Razi, and Dr. Lotfali Pourkazemi, the President of Iran’s Sports Medicine Federation, also addressed the audience on Friday. The two discussed the role of sport medicine in sport journalism.
IPC Chair Verena Burk at the seminarThe second day of the seminar was apparently more educational, as Dr. Burk, Ms. Morris and Iranian university lecturer Dr. Hamid Ghasemi provided the audience with their significant speeches. Dr. Burk, Assistant Professor at the German University of Tübingen, stressed that doping can not only be a decision of an individual athlete, but that a part of collective roles involve in doping. She considered the roles of economy, politics, mass media and audience as being crucial in leading an athlete to doping. Ms. Morris then introduced the structure of AIPS and the constant efforts of its executive members to enhance sport journalism all around the world. She also discussed the current move led by AIPS for gaining free internet for journalists who are expected to cover the upcoming world’s most important sport event, the London Olympic Games. Dr. Ghasemi then gave a detailed analysis of Iranian sport media, particularly radio and television. He stressed that through providing synergy the media could create a developed situation for different sports in different levels.
Another important issue discussed on the second day was the introduction of a traditional Iranian sport, Zurkhaneh sport. A member from the International Zurkhaneh Sport Federation which is located in Tehran explained that Zurkhaneh means the house of strength and is standing for joy of effort, generosity and chivalry spirit, the love of country that is also combined with literature and art.
All the Seminar participants then paid a visit to the Iranian Olympic Academy on Saturday afternoon.
On the final day of the Seminar, Iranian university lecturer Dr. Hassan Namakdoost gave a remarkable speech about sport journalism. He considered objectivism as a scale in professional journalism and particularly in sport journalism. He also declared that the codes of ethics in media are general and global, and sport journalists should in particular respect these ethics rules. Dr. Namakdoost regarded fairness, objectivity, balance and accuracy as the principles of codes of ethics in journalism. Dr. Hassan Asadi, a lecturer at Tehran University of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, and Dr. Ali Fattolahzadeh, the Chairman of Esteghlal Football Club, also addressed the audience, discussing the crucial role of media in enhancing different sport fields. Dr. Ahmadi also talked about the moral functions of the media, and the serious challenges that the sport journalists might face during their career. Noting a recent data taken from the sport journalists about respecting the moral codes of journalism, Dr. Ahmadi said that the situation in sport journalism is quite good in Iran but yet there are some problems and challenges in sport media, which need more research.
The Seminar was closed after Dr. Ahmadi, Mr. Zandi and Dr. Burk awarded the lecturers with gifts, certificates and the AIPS Book. Sport journalists who attended the three-day event also received a certificate.
(Source: Sara Alambeigi, Member ISJA)