The International Sports Press Association is approaching a new milestone: the AIPS congress scheduled for April 10-14 in Lausanne, Switzerland, where the organization’s leadership for the next four years will be elected.

In this context, Gianni Merlo, current AIPS president and candidate for the upcoming elections for the same position, sent AIPS members his manifesto for the 2026-2030 term, which presents key priorities designed to further support the development of the sports journalism profession in a global context marked by uncertainty. “Our role in society is more important than ever, and together we must protect our rights. We must defend press freedom and we must be united to achieve our goals,” says Gianni Merlo.

Looking to the future of sports journalism
The world is currently going through a period of turmoil, the drums of war are beating with dire warnings, and in such a climate it is certainly not easy to work in the field of sports journalism, as global uncertainty prevents us from finding the necessary peace of mind. However, we must regain our balance, because our profession is also going through a delicate and difficult moment of technological evolution.

Content creators
Years ago, our profession resisted the recognition of freelancers, who were considered by some to be a threat to traditional sports journalism, which was based on colleagues who worked full-time in newspapers, radio and television. However, they were finally accepted, and today freelancers outnumber colleagues employed by various publications. But now our world is besieged by an incredible mass of content creators, which is why it is necessary to find a definition for this new professional category. We have created a working group for this mission. Coordinated by Joze Zidar, the group has developed a document that sets out the fundamental guidelines for the recognition of content creators as true sports journalists. The document has been distributed to all national associations. This is the first step, which will be followed by a document on the use of Artificial Intelligence. These documents will allow us to open a wide debate to defend our profession.

In Ghana, a young association known as the New Media Association of Ghana (NMAG) has asked to discuss with the Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) the possibility of some of its members being recognized as sports journalists. Recently, the Sport Journalists Association of Gambia has established its Sports Content Creators Commission. In essence, this is a laboratory for the future and we believe that the same experience can be replicated in many other countries.

AIPS Sport Media Awards
Our awards, despite the challenges facing the world, are a great success and the quality of the submitted materials is consistently high. For the current 2025 edition there were 1,987 entries, a number that speaks for itself. The works came from 130 countries, and this also speaks for itself. Now we just have to work together to promote our awards in all media, because they are the foundation of our success. And they are the only awards in the world with such a high level of participation. We should be proud of this. But it is also necessary that every colleague and every association can highlight in their own media the importance of this award, which is truly unique in the world through its collective participation.

Working Groups
Working groups are the future of our association, as we need trained colleagues to study in depth the issues facing our profession. I have already mentioned the working group studying the situation of content creators and Artificial Intelligence, but the work of the football working group, coordinated by Rudy Nuyens, was also a success. FIFA invited an AIPS delegation, led by Nuyens, to Atlanta in early March to discuss issues related to the 2026 World Cup. The feedback from this experience was very positive.

Given the positive reactions, new working groups will be created, which could focus on women and sports journalism, on status, ethics, media accreditation at major events and other topics that may arise as the profession evolves. However, achieving this fundamental goal will require the participation of many colleagues. I know that it is not an easy goal, but it is certainly possible; it all depends on our willingness to participate. We need everyone's commitment to defend our profession, which plays a fundamental role in promoting fair and ethical sport.

It is also necessary to create continental working groups that exchange information and suggestions with the global AIPS.

Young Reporters
Our Young Reporters projects have continued to be very successful. Last year, in Chile, during the FIFA U-20 World Cup, thanks to the vision of the president of the Chilean Association of Sports Journalists, Pablo Vargas, we had the opportunity to organize classes every morning in a university setting. Finally, the university asked our mentors to also hold a course for their communication students. We have already discussed with FIFA and UEFA to continue this relationship with universities in the future, which is essential to achieve new cultural goals, because sport is culture. The Young Reporters project can also be carried out at a national level.

AIPS100
I believe that AIPS100, the platform we created for the 100th anniversary of our association, in Paris 2024, was a great success, because it demonstrates that the journalism of the future can also be achieved through short, but well-documented and complete videos. The 130 young reporters who participated, by providing us with accurate and well-presented information, demonstrated that we chose the right path. Now it is up to us to continue this journey, consistently providing accurate information from other major events.

AIPS100 was a success thanks to the fundamental images provided by the IOC and Getty Images, who immediately believed in our project. Now it is up to us to continue; the commitment required is great. But the sacrifice is fully rewarded by global recognition.

AIPS Champions of the Year
AIPS Champions of the Year is an event that we can make huge; it’s entirely up to us. Last year over 800 colleagues voted, but it could be more than 1,000 without too much effort. And every year, on January 1st, with the resources we have today, we will be able to create an online ceremony that includes an interview with the champions, as we have done in the last two years, but this time with a larger audience. It’s entirely up to us, because we are the ones who communicate, but we often forget this. It doesn’t take much to make Champions of the Year more visible. It’s not Mission Impossible, it’s Very Possible.

Journalists on the Podium
During the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games we organized another successful edition of AIPS Journalists on the Podium, during which 80 colleagues were rewarded in Milan. Sports legends such as Alberto Tomba, IOC Vice President Nawal El Moutawakel, Paul Tergat, IOC Honorary Member Manuela Di Centa, Claudia Giordani and Maria Rosa Quario presented awards to journalists who have participated in 10 or more Olympic Games. Since London 2012, Journalists on the Podium has been one of the strong pillars of our association, representing decades of dedication and commitment to sports journalism. This recognition of the work done must continue at major events, because we have seen it to be a great success.

Magazine and website
Our magazine and website are of a good standard, but they can become even more interesting if we all work harder and together. We should visit them more often and enrich them with even more contributions. And that depends entirely on us. That means participation and it can take us very far.

My role
In the coming years, my role will be to coordinate and coach the new generation of colleagues, who will very soon lead this association. In the future, we will need at least 100 colleagues involved in the working groups and various committees. We cannot rest on the foundation of the organization we have built so far, but we must adapt to changing times, which require more human resources. Artificial Intelligence helps, but it cannot replace our sensitivity.

Acknowledgements
We are at the end of a four-year period and I want to take this opportunity to thank our staff members for their remarkable work. I can assure you that without their sacrifice, including during the holidays, we could not have achieved all the results we can be proud of.
So thank you, Marinella, Stefania, Nadine, Chibu, Anna, Sene, Konnye and Martin.

Gianni Merlo
President of AIPS