SIMS Partners Present Project at 2024 AIPS Congress in Spain

The SIMS project partners converged at the 86th AIPS (International Sports Press Association) Congress from 28 April to 2 May in Santa Susanna, Spain. The audience of over 400 journalists and media representatives from over 100 countries had the opportunity to learn more about the SIMS project and certification process as Espana se Mueve Secretary General Fernando Soria and International Projects Manager Marc Declerq presented the initiative and invited the participants to join in. The special occasion also enabled the SIMS partners to host a transnational project meeting to discuss the project's next steps. 

The Congress included the AIPS centenary celebration, the AIPS Sport Media Awards gala, and discussions and debates on issues concerning sports and sports journalism, with a strong focus on building a better future. An address given by Kiera Byland from Special Olympics emphasised the need for Sports media to be more inclusive, which aligns with the objective of the SIMS project to create a training and certification framework for journalists to better cover sport-inclusive events. This aims to help increase the coverage of inclusive sport initiatives at local, regional national and international levels, thereby making journalists promoters of social inclusion and equal opportunities through sport.

Learn more through our video replay below or on YouTube.

BACKGROUND

The SIMS initiative is a 30-month project funded by the European Union, focusing on promoting social inclusion, diversity, and equal opportunities through sports via dissemination and communication strategies. A significant part of this project involves the creation of a European seal designed to honour media outlets reporting on social inclusion and equal opportunities within the sports landscape, particularly those actively championing this cause. The project is led by Instituto España se Mueve (Spain) with a consortium of partners, including ENAIP (Italy), AIPS (Switzerland), EASPD (Belgium), and TAFISA (Germany).