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AIPS President Gianni Merlo delivers a crucial message on World Sports Journalists Day, celebrated today, July 2. This date also marks the 101st anniversary of the International Sports Press Association (AIPS), a testament to over a century of dedication to sports journalism worldwide.
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TRANSCRIPT
"Moday, 2nd of July is a very special day for us, because the 2nd of July of 1924 our association was born in Paris before the Olympics.
"And now we are living in a very delicate, dangerous and confusing moment in the world, and this uncertainty has filtered even into the cosmos of sport, which exudes tension and absorbs only the worst aspects of politics.
"We need to improve our cultural background, both sporting and civil. We need to be ready to respond to the new demands of life, and our commitment to this cultural upgrading is fundamental.
"I know, it is not easy to study more because work hours have expanded, computers have not provided us with more free time, but rather are forcing us into an almost unscheduled commitment.
"We have little time left for private life, but a sacrifice is necessary to defend our profession, which has always played an important role in the world of sport and therefore in society.
"After 101 years of our history, we find ourselves having to defend the cultural value of sport and our profession.
"Some say that new media, content creators and artificial intelligence are a great danger for us. I, on the other hand, think that it is only necessary to create ethical and professional rules to exploit the positive aspects of these new realities, while fighting the negative and dangerous aspects for freedom of expression – this must be important.
"We must be united, because we share the same passion and our work is dedicated to the new generations and to the fact that we build bridges to unite the youth of the world and not divide them.
"Sport has a universal language and we must continue to defend it from the attacks of corruption, this must be very clear.
"We defend universal values ??and precisely for this reason our organization has exceeded 100 years of life, because it has always been projected into the future and has embraced all generations of men and women who see sport as a fundamental instrument of culture and peace.
"For this reason, we have always not to forget this 2nd of July that was our beginning."
AIPS President Gianni Merlo (By Carlo Pozzoni/Nordcap Studio)
