World Sports Journalists Day

 

When is celebrated?

World Sports Journalists Day is celebrated on July 2, every year.

Why the Day celebrated?

The occasion is celebrated to urge members of the sporting media to strive for excellence in their professional work. On should grab hold of every opportunity to use sport as a vehicle for world peace, and to be fair and impartial goal. World Sports Journalists Day is the responsibility as journalists to set an example to the world. A journalist can add value not only to the world of sport, but to the world at large - to culture, to peace, and to good values

History of origin

World Sports Journalists Day all started when various sports journalists assembled at a game show during the twentieth century. World Sports Journalists Day took place during the Olympic Games at Antwerp in the year 1920. The requirement and plan for uniting sports journalists from the entire globe firstly took place from this event. The International Sports and Press Association (AIPS), a body was established in the year 1924 while Olympic Games took place in Paris. As that venue is the Headquarters of the Sporting Club of France.
Main initiators were:

• Frantz Reichel
• The Belgian Victor Boin along with their co-workers Tegner and Pozzi.
  • goal of the association is to increase the participation from different member countries in order to defend sport and the skilled interest of the members.
  • It emphasizes on strengthening the companionship, bonding and liking & disliking between sports journalists all over the globe.
  • Its effort is to provide the better working environment for the fellow members.

Facts and Figures

Sport journalism has flourished as a different kind of sports activities all over the world has taken a new shape in terms of power, wealth and influence. Sports journalism is an integral coverage matter for every media group. Sports journalism involves organizations dedicated only to different sports covering dailies, like L'Equipe in France, La Gazzetta dello Sport in Italy. Life of sports in various Britain and American magazines like Sports Illustrated and the Sporting News, sports talk radio stations, and television channels like ESPN. The 1950s and 1960s saw a rapid growth in sports journalism both in the printing and the broadcasting media.

There was development of specialist sports news and the photographic agencies. Through some outstanding photography media business has grow into a multi-million pound. Since the 1990s, the sport is growing on a rapid pace. It has become a global business and the handsome amounts of money are involved from sponsorship and in the staging of the Olympic Games and football World Cups. These events have attracted the attention of well-known investigative and skilled journalists. The nature of the relationships between the subjects of sports journalists reporting and sports journalists is very sensitive. Most of the countries have formed their individual national association for the sports journalists. The particular sport has its personal associations and clubs for specialist journalists. These associations are not like trades unions; rather, it sets certain goal in order keep up the exact podium of press at sports venues. They emphasize on better accreditation methodologies and try to maintain good standards of sports journalism. The Sports Journalist Association was established in the year 1948 in Britain.

It organizes two honorable awards shows. One is an annual Sports Academy ceremony. This show hunts great performances by sportsmen and sports women of the last event.

Second is the British Sports Journalism Awards. Main sponsor of this event is UK Sport. It is presented each Year in March. Few reputed dailies, like The Sunday Times, started adopting the policy to hire former sports personalities to write columns in place of journalists. But use to work as ghost writers. But it could not grow much as good-will of sports journalism started falling under the category of academic scrutiny as per the parameter. Sports journalism in Britain has attracted different talented journalist.

The Daily Mirror proprietor Peter Wilson, Hugh McIlvanney of Sunday Times, Ian Wooldridge of the Daily Mail and soccer writer Brian Glanville use to write for the Sunday Times, became very popular names through their instant and skilled journalistic approach for giving coverage on various memorable events like the Massacre at the Munich Olympics in 1972, Muhammad Ali's fight career, and the Heysel Stadium disaster.