Paris Médias 2024: journalists train for the imminent coverage of the Olympic Games!
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Paris Médias 2024"We've never been so close!” In less than two weeks, the Olympic Games kick off in Paris. And, like the greatest athletes, the journalists benefiting from the Paris Médias 2024 project are also preparing to cover this global event by improving their knowledge of top-level sport and Olympic competitions. Here's an update on their preparations.
For some weeks now, the journalists taking part in the Paris Médias 2024 project have been feeling the stress. On 22 July, 15 of them will be in Paris to cover the Olympic Games as part of a temporary newsroom, and 40 are being trained to cover the event from all over French-speaking Africa. To achieve this, CFI is offering specific support to help them develop their sports journalism skills: four webinars have already been organised to improve their knowledge of top-level sport and Olympic competitions.
Strengthening journalists' knowledge of Olympic culture
The aim of the first webinar was to improve journalists' general knowledge of the Olympic movement and the history of the African continent at the Olympic Games. Elom Attissogbe, Communications Director of Togo's National Olympic Committee (NOC), spoke about the history of Olympism, its organisation and the actions of the NOCs. At a time when the Paris Games will be the first in history to have absolute equality, Seydina Omar Diagne, Secretary General of the Senegalese NOC, explained the efforts being made to encourage young women to take up sport, and also to provide support.
Frank Simon, sports journalist and sports expert for the Paris Médias 2024 project , looked at the links between Africa and the Games: from Kenya, which holds the continental record for medals (113), to the 25 countries still looking for rewards, via the boycott of the Montreal Games by many African countries and the first African women's medal by Ethiopian Derartu Tulu.
Understanding the realities of African athletes
The second webinar, held on 12 June, focused on top-level athletes and the practice of their sport. Sidy Yattara, national technical director of Mali's athletics team, spoke of the lack of infrastructure, equipment and trained staff for high-level competition, but also of the adaptability that has enabled some athletes to win medals.
Olympic champion Serge Mimpo (Football - Sydney 2000) talks about the preparation and sacrifices involved in competing at the highest level, including exile. Fodé Sissoko, a young Malian athlete who will be competing in the Paris Olympics, attests to this. The 200m sprinter has been training from France for the last six years. Although he has an Olympic scholarship, he holds down two jobs in order to fund his training courses, medical treatment and equipment so that he can make a living from his passion.
"This webinar has enabled me to understand the realities faced by African athletes", says one of the participants. "I salute their resilience", said another journalist. So many ideas for subjects and stories to tell that go beyond sporting results alone.
Developing your journalistic style in the run-up to the Games
Finally, two final webinars tackled the preparation and coverage of international sporting events such as the Games, which attract millions of television viewers every year. The specific features of print and online coverage were discussed, as well as journalistic styles. The project's experts focused their training on the need to vary journalistic angles and topics, and on the need to keep writing simple and always answer the 6 key questions: who, what, where, when, how and why?
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To find out more: our angle on the Paris Médias 2024 project.
