Attended by 400 sports journalists from all over the world, 17 sports legends and various personalities from the world of sport, the ceremony opened on 5 August ‘24 with a photo collection of the most iconic moments in the history of the Association, to the notes of Giacomo Puccini’s ‘Nessun Dorma’, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the death of the famous Italian composer.

Roland Garros presenter and voice for Eurosport Mark Maury opened the celebrations, inviting Gabriela Ramos, Unesco’s Deputy Director-General for Social Sciences and Humanities, to the stage, who said: “A big round of applause for the centenary of AIPS, for these fantastic Olympic Games and for the work of journalists. Thanks to you the world is able to know and appreciate the value of the immortal stories of sports legends. We count on your work to promote not only sport, but also its values such as inclusiveness and brotherhood.”

THE MINISTER OF SPORT – Amelie Oudéa-Castéra, French Minister of Sport, then took the floor: “Since 1896, the first modern Olympic Games, many things have changed for your profession. Today more than ever we need journalists, their professionalism and their stories to convey not only information, but also passion. In important moments like the Olympics, the cooperation between sport and journalism is more decisive than ever, and I thank Gianni Merlo for inviting me to celebrate sports journalism and the centenary of AIPS together with you”.

THE RING AND THE VALUES OF SPORTS JOURNALISM – Association President Gianni Merlo opened the 100th anniversary celebrations in the middle of a boxing ring, an image that recalls the place where 100 years ago in Paris the then French president Frantz Reichel gave birth to the association together with vice president Torsten Tegner and secretaries Andrej Sekura and Henri Pozzi. In his speech, Merlo emphasised that the association’s goal is still the same: to continue to fight for the rights and values of sports journalism: ‘One hundred years is undoubtedly an important milestone and celebrating it in Paris, in the city where we were born, in a symbolic place like Unesco means a lot. We must continue, today more than ever, to work together so that sports journalism can promote culture and values. Sport is based on principles that we must continue to defend.

IMMORTAL CHAMPIONS – On stage, together with Merlo, 17 world and Olympic champions of the past took part in the celebrations: from World Athletics president Sebastian Coe to the newly elected vice-president of the International Olympic Committee Nawal El-Moutawakel, via gymnastics legend Nadia Comaneci, Edwin Moses Daley Thompson, Kipchoge Keino, Tegla Loroupe, Nicol David, Sean Firzpatrick, Tanni Grey-Thompson, Cheistopher Andrew Hoy, Cecilia Tait, Ana Fidelia Quirot, Donna de Varona, Sergej Bubka, Wu Jingyu and Antonio Rossi. Each of the Olympic champions was presented with an exclusive illustration, created by Cesare Giardini from Vigevano. The artist, who took the AIPS initiative with great enthusiasm, created unique pieces for each of the legends and his works were a great success among those present.

THE VETERANS OF JOURNALISM – The Olympic champions in turn honoured 112 journalists (11 Italians) who have covered 10 or more Olympics during their journalistic careers. An important recognition for key figures in the world of sports communication from all over the world. The awarding of the veterans of journalism represents the 15th edition of ‘Journalists on the Podium’, a celebratory event conceived by Gianni Merlo for the first time in 2012, on the occasion of the London Olympic Games.

YOUNG PROMISES – Among the various projects that have coloured the 100th anniversary of AIPS are the videos on the history of the Summer Olympics, a sort of video encyclopaedia on the history of the Summer Olympics with 131 videos made by young journalists from 131 countries. The project, in which Merlo and his office in Vigevano believed from day one, represents a unique achievement and shows how far the Association has been able to go over the years and how far sports journalism is able to connect and reach. The platform is available for all to view for free at aips100.com.

KATAKLÒ The ceremony was embellished with sports-themed ballet performances by the Milanese dance troupe Kataklò, who performed a series of acrobatic and athletic dances on the theme of the Olympics, from the birth of the games to the next edition to be held in Italy with the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in 2026.

Credit: Andrea Camporesi signs the creative direction, the direction is by Marco D’Amelio, with executive production by Gianmarco Sisti and Gloria Cova as well as choreography by Giulia Staccioli for Katakló.