The International Sports Press Association (AIPS) believes it can play a crucial role to reopen constructive dialogue in crafting peace through sports.
“If all wars end, sport will have the role of recreating meeting points for young people,” said the AIPS in a statement yesterday.
The AIPS statements comes at a time when war and conflict is raging in various parts of the world, particularly the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Palestine armed conflicts. It also comes as Cambodia seeks peace in their border conflict initiated by neighbours Thailand.
Our year 2026, between war drums and the hope of a sport that rediscovers culture
“We are living through the most delicate period for global stability since the end of the Second World War. The echo of the drums of war is part of our daily lives, and we risk becoming numb to the images of destruction and death,” said AIPS.
AIPS added that sport survives, but it also needed injections of trust, because it risks falling into the hands of organizations that know neither dignity nor honesty.
The AIPS was also concerned of the exploitation of sports during this trying times.
“It is precisely during these dark times that illegal betting and doping thrive, exploiting the contradictions of a sporting world that is often still culturally unprepared.
The organisation believes that sports journalists have the taske to delve into all issues and monitor the behavior of those who manage top-level sport to prevent them from taking positions contrary to the fundamental principles of transparent and educational sport.
The AIPS was also concerned with the proposed Enhanced Games, that allows doping by the participants.
“The “Enhanced Games” are expected to launch in June, although it’s not yet entirely certain. These games are where anything is possible with the blessing of magic pills, which can transform a bank clerk into a world champion, as rich as Scrooge McDuck, in just a few months. These pharmacy-based games, which also promise an elixir of long life, are the perfect calling card for those who want to get their hands on sports to make money gambling with the health of others,” said AIPS.
The grouping of ineternational sportswriters, that their stance was not of being overly conservative or even old-fashioned; but rather, the need to defend educational values, which are also the foundation of civil society.
The AIPS believed that “enhancement” through Artificial Intelligence, could improve their members lives as journalists, but it was not yet entirely clear how.
“Like pills, AI, taken in controlled doses, can be extremely useful, while left unchecked, it can create serious problems. We must defend accurate, human information, not just artificially generated information, because otherwise we will end up in the hands of unscrupulous operators, masters of creating artificial truths. And we will all become characters in a fictional story… ,” said the AIPS.
