Muscat – Omani affairs
The delegation of the Omani Journalists Association met with Gianni Merlo, President of the International Federation of Sports Press, coinciding with the meetings of the International Federation “Congress”. During the meeting, they discussed cooperation between the two sides and the importance of participating in the implementation of a number of joint activities at the international and Asian levels during the next stage.
Merlo praised the effectiveness of the Omani Journalists Association, pointing to its good success in hosting the meetings of the International Federation of Journalists “Congress” last May, which is an important global achievement in journalism.
He stressed that the Sultanate of Oman is unique with very important characteristics, as it possesses the historical heritage, the charming nature, and the ability of its youth to organize international events, as it can benefit from all these elements to be more visible in the world, adding that we hope to work together to serve the emerging sports journalists in Sultanate of Oman.
Salem Al-Jahuri, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Association, praised the growing relations between the Association and the International Federation, and appreciated the keenness of the President of the International Federation for the Sultanate of Oman to be within the map of the Federation’s activities during the next stage, and stressed that the Chairman and members of the Board of Directors are open to all proposals to enhance cooperation between the two sides.
The closing of the curtain
On the other hand, the Omani Journalists Association ended its participation in the 85th Congress, which was held in Seoul, South Korea, from 8 to 12 May, with the participation of more than 77 countries.
The conference concluded with a morning session that included some data on the situation in Ukraine and the suffering of Ukrainian media professionals who are participating in the war. It also presented some numbers that indicated the loss of more than 200 athletes and the destruction of more than 59 sports facilities due to the war.
After that, a short video was shown about the participation of a number of Sudanese journalists in the events currently taking place in Sudan.
-Then Sania from Uganda, one of the youngest young female media professionals in the world, presented one of the initiatives that she had established in Uganda, represented in a sports center for youth care there.
-Santa Susanna welcomes
For his part, the Spaniard Pretor announced that the Spanish coastal city of Santa Susana is ready to host the next Congress during the summer of 2024. A short film about the city and its nature was also shown, and Pretor confirmed that the city is not far from Barcelona and that it will please the guests with its nature, as he welcomed everyone.
Centenary celebration
Gianni Merlo, President of the International Federation of Sports Press, confirmed that the federation is preparing to celebrate the centenary of its founding, which falls next year, as it was scheduled to take place in Paris, but due to Paris’ preoccupation with the 2024 Olympic Games and the inability to obtain hotels for accommodation, it was decided that it will be held in the city of Santa Fe. Spanish Marina, but the Union will celebrate this occasion at the UNESCO headquarters in France.
flag delivery
The Spaniard Pretor received the flag of the International Federation of Sports Press from the Korean He Don Jung, President of the Asian Sports Press Federation and President of the Korean Federation, the current host, noting that Spain will host the World Congress for the fifth time.
The Congress (85) concluded its activities with a brief speech by Gianni Merlo, in which he spoke about the conditions that sports journalists in the world suffer from, stressing that the federation will not stand idly by.
The final paragraph was to hand over the International Federation shield to the President of the South Korean Sports Media Association as a souvenir in appreciation of the success achieved by the Congress in Seoul.
