Who starts well, ends well. Sports journalists from African news agencies were equipped with new concepts for good practice in the profession, at the end of the training seminar organized by the Atlantic Federation of African News Agencies (Faapa), from May 23 to 28, in Rabat , in Morocco. The president of this structure, Khalil Hachimi Indrissi satisfied with the smooth running of this training session, invited the African sports columnists to have a sense of responsibility.

They were twenty come from all four corners of the continent, for this training based on the mastery of techniques for the good practice of sports journalism. It all started on Monday, May 23 with the opening ceremony, where the Secretary General of FAAPA, Mohamed Anis on behalf of President Khalil Hachimi who was unable to attend, invited the participants to put their time in profile to follow with this high-level training. , the first of its kind in the history of Faapa. This is training, he said, which is part of Faapa’s action plan for the year 2022, approved by its executive council at the meeting in Dakar, Senegal, in last November.

The objective of this seminar was to build the capacity of sports journalists for better handling of issues relating to the coverage of major national, regional and international sporting events. The training also aimed to promote the performance and productivity of sports journalists in reporting and processing sports information. And finally, it was also a question in this training of promoting the exchange of experiences and consolidating the capacities of journalists to produce innovative content in the field of sports information, while respecting the principles of professional ethics and deontology. journalistic.

Training rich in sports

Thus, the training was supervised and led by several speakers, under the leadership of the Ivorian Magloire Gnae Oulidehi and the Senegalese Mamadou Salif Diallo. With an interactive methodology, followed by presentations rich in material, the participants visibly determined to change things in the practice of sports journalism, placed the exchanges at a very interesting level.

For 5 days, African sports journalists learned several things about mastering techniques for the good practice of sports journalism. In particular, the new techniques of sports journalism; sports journalism in the digital age; sport and socio-economic development issues; sport and communication and cultural issues; and finally, deontology and professional ethics of sports journalism.

Network of sports journalists see the light of day

And as expected, the organizers decided to create a network of sports journalists from African press agencies (RJS-FAAPA), a structure affiliated with Faapa. Its objective is to promote the exchange of experience and data, as well as the sharing of skills between its members in all areas of common interest, particularly in the field of sports journalism. It also aims to organize thematic seminars and symposia under the leadership of FAAPA, and in partnership with organizations and institutions at the African and international level.

The Senegalese Mamadou Salif Diallo, Head of the sports department at the Senegalese Press Agency (APS), has been appointed as general coordinator of this Network, assisted by the Mauritanian Amadou Sy appointed as Secretary General. The network will therefore exercise its actions thanks to the active support of its members; the sports day workers, who provide him with their support and skills. The RJS-FAAPA can ensure, if necessary, the assistance of experts or organizations that are external to it.

Full support for the network of sports journalists

In his closing speech, the President of Faapa, Khalil Hachimi, welcomed the creation of the Network of Sports Journalists of African News Agencies, of which he pledged all his support. He insisted by reminding the participants that information is first ethics, and sport is only a branch. ” If we have to change something in the sports field in Africa, it is with you that we will do it. Sport means competing with someone in the spirit of fair play, sport is not war. he urged before proceeding to the ceremony of awarding patents to the participants.

Guy-Louis Elongo, Special Envoy to Morocco