October 06, 2022
ARISF President Raffaele Chiulli was invited as keynote speaker at the Opening Ceremony of the International Sports Press Association (AIPS) 84th Congress held in Rome. AIPS includes over 10,000 journalists in 160 countries representing leading international newspapers, periodicals, radio and television channels across the five continents. President Chiulli was interviewed at the Congress; following is an extract of the interview: “I have appreciated the AIPS activities, which are very attentive to sustainability, legacy, valorization of the communities and social inclusion. Sport journalism has a key role to serve as a global platform, to report on and support the practice of inclusive sport and promotion of its educational and social values. In addition to practicing sports personally, as president of ARISF and of the International Federation of Motorboating (UIM), I truly believe that sport can give a fundamental contribution in such a delicate moment as the one we are experiencing. I would like to underline that ARISF is an organization established and recognized by the International Olympic Committee and it represents all the international sports federations recognized by the IOC and through them thousands of national sports federations and hundreds of millions of athletes. ARISF is one of the pillars of the Olympic movement and of the world sport community, through which international federations exchange know-how and best practices in all aspects of sport governance. More importantly, they maintain a continuous dialogue with the IOC and the entire Olympic movement on all matters of common interest, in particular the possibility to be included in the Olympic program. I have no doubt that sport can drive social change at a time of great inequality and with the future of our planet in serious danger. Sport is solidarity, social inclusion and sharing values that can be transferred to the new generations especially in the peripheries of the world. In this sense, I had the privilege last week of meeting His Holiness Pope Francis at a gathering of global leaders and influencers to discuss how faith and sport can work together to promote positive values, inspire youth and better serve humanity. I firmly believe that sport can transmit universal values regardless of whether it is professional or amateur, because the two dimensions can work in synergy. In this difficult period values of sport such as cohesion, friendship and respect have allowed us to react to hard times with positivity, and I would like to commend our international federations and athletes for their admirable commitment. Sport teaches us that what matters is never giving up and that after each fall it is important to get up and try again. Today, the challenge facing the international community is very delicate: we have gone from being united in trying to win the battle against the pandemic, to the profound divisions that the war is causing. Sport, as an instrument of peace and friendship between peoples, is able to spread fundamental ideals and values such as fraternity, solidarity, non-violence, tolerance and justice in different geographical, cultural and political contexts. I am convinced that sport can give a great contribution to transform society for the better and contribute to building a better world”.
