250 journalists participate in second ‘Sport Journalists’ Congress’
The Afghanistan Sport Journalists Federation (ASJF) held its second annual national Sport Journalists’ Congress in the International Center of Media and Information of the government with a record 250 sports journalists from around 34 provinces turned up. According to President Afghanistan Sports Journalists Federation Sayer Zaland, it is for the first time that such a good numbers of sports journalists gathered for the 2nd National Sports Journalists Congress.
He also thanked Secretary General AIPs Asia Amjad Aziz Malik (Pakistan) for extending all out moral and organizational support in bringing all the sports journalists of war-turned Afghanistan. Sayer Zaland said that a total of 250 sport journalists from 34 provinces were present at the event, and for the first time speaker of the Senate, Deputy President of Afghanistan Olympic committee, Minister of Transport, Acting minister of Information and Culture, Governor of Kabul Province, Chairman of ACB, Deputy General Director of Afghanistan sport and physical education directorate and top athletes were also part of the extra-ordinary Congress.
ASJF President Sayer Zaland in his speech thanked the journalists from around the country for being part of ASJF and the second Sport Journalists’ Congress. “This is a big moment for the people of Afghanistan and for every one of us that we are here to talk about our future and future of the sport in Afghanistan,” Zaland said.
He underlined the achievement of the association during the past year and promised the participants that they would work hard during the upcoming year to promote sport media and the AIPS mission. Zaland further highlighted the problem of sport media and journalists in the country and asked the sport organizations to support ASJF and sport journalists to work hard in the future.
The ASJF President addressed the congress and spoke about the future plans of ASJF to professionalize sport journalism and organize different workshops for young reporters. He further said that will work closely with sport organizations to solve problems between sport journalists and the aimed organizations. Gianni Merlo, President of the AIPs World and Amjad Aziz Malik, Secretary General AIPs Asia, who masterminded and work for the promotion of sports journalism in Afghanistan, their video message to Sayer Zaland and the ASJF members, called this congress as a milestone for Afghan journalists. Merlo added that sport is education, something that unites people and something that help people understanding each other better.
“Our aim is to bring the new and old generation together and to talk about the plans and problems and bring peace and professionalism everywhere. “ASJF president Sayer Zaland is a young guy and with big feelings for the country and he can succeed in beginning a new era and new milestone in the history of sport journalism in Afghanistan,” the AIPs President and Secretary General AIPs Asia added.
In his speech, Speaker of Senate Fazal Hadi Muslimyar also expressed his support for ASJF and sport journalists and asked them to bring their problems and that they would help in solving them. Dad Mohammad Payenda Akhtary, Vice president of the National Olympic Committee accepted the problem of information and facilities for sport journalists in the past and promised to help ASJF work for sport media.
After that the Acting Minister of Information, Minister of transport, the Kabul governor, Deputy Director of sport and physical education of Afghanistan all spoke to the congress and expressed their help and support for ASJF for future programs, Sayer Zaland added.
He disclosed that two Forums one for media and one for sport, where also successfully held during the congress with participants from top media and senior journalists, with representatives from sport organizations addressing the questions of the media and giving detailed reports about their activities.
In the third session of the congress, he said, sport organizations and sponsor companies held presentations. This was followed by the official congress, where sport journalists took part in an open discussion about the future of ASJF. ASJF is the only high official sport journalists’ body in the country having more than 123 members around 34 provinces from different media outlets.
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