LAUSANNE, July 11, 2025 – As we approach the webinar “Breaking Barriers: How Sport and Media Shape an Inclusive Future” scheduled for Monday, 14 July 2025 at 15:00 CEST, the International Sports Press Association (AIPS), as a core contributor to the Sports Inclusion Media Seal (SIMS) Project, is pleased to present a distinguished lineup of speakers who will guide our conversation on inclusivity and diversity in sports reporting.

Have you registered for the webinar yet? REGISTER HERE

This online webinar brings together leading voices across the journalism spectrum, including distinguished participants from the 2024 edition of the AIPS Sport Media Awards, for a panel discussion on how media narratives and sports platforms can dismantle stereotypes, amplify underrepresented groups, and drive policy change. The floor is open for questions from all attendees.

PROGRAMME
3:00 pm | Zoom Opening speech by AIPS President Gianni Merlo
3:05 pm | Introduction of the webinar & speakers
3:10 pm | SIMS Project Presentation by Fernando Soria, “Instituto España se Mueve”
3:15 pm | Panel discussion, moderated by Martin Mazur
3:50 pm | Open discussion, including questions from attendees in the chat
4:00-4:20 pm | Open Q&A from attendees

PANEL SPEAKERS
GIANNI MERLO AIPS President | Italy
With over 50 years of sports journalism expertise. Under his AIPS leadership since 2005, AIPS has raised ethical standards and championed inclusive global coverage by launching transformative initiatives: AIPS Sport Media Awards (since 2018), the Young Reporters Programme (since 2011) and the “100 Olympic Stories in Under 100 Seconds” made by over 100 Young Reporters worldwide to celebrate the AIPS centennial in 2024, while establishing key working groups like Content Creators and Sports Delegation Committees to advance representation at every level of sport.

MARTIN MAZUR AIPS Sport Media Awards Director; AIPS Mentor | Argentina
Award-winning sports journalist with over 25 years of experience, reporting for some of the biggest media outlets in the world. Published in more than 25 countries, translated into 20 different languages, and joined the AIPS family in 2015. He is a mentor in the AIPS Young Reporters Programme and e-College, and Director of the AIPS Sport Media Awards since its creation in 2018.

NATALIA DONETS Deputy Editor-in-Chief Sport-time.org; SIMS Seal Certified Media | Moldova
Moldovan sports writer and photographer, active in sports media and administration since 2008. Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Sport-Time.org, a leading Moldovan sports news outlet and proud SIMS Seal Bronze level holder, she is serving her second term on the executive board of the Moldovan Sports Press Association. She is an alumna of the first AIPS Young Reporters programme at the FISU Summer Universiade Shenzhen 2011 and a graduate of Sciences Po Paris in Communications. She is the first and only Moldovan to have worked at the Paralympic Games.

LORENA ENCABO GARCIA Producer, Olympic Channel & Olympics.com | Spain
Madrid-based sports producer at the Olympic Channel and Olympics.com for nine years, closely covering the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games, including the Paris 2024 Paralympics, and numerous other international events. Passionate about sports media as a force for inclusion and positive change. With work spanning documentaries and live event coverage, she specialises in telling athletes’ personal stories: the moments that transcend medals and podiums to reveal the people behind the performances.

COSMAS MULENGA Lead Presenter, Diamond TV Zambia | Zambia
An award-winning Zambian sports journalist and TV presenter, Mulenga’s unique storytelling earned him Zambia’s Best Broadcast Sports Journalist Award in 2024 and AIPS’ second-best Young Sports Broadcaster worldwide; as the youngest anchor of the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and youngest presenter during the 2023 AFCON broadcast on Diamond TV, he interviewed global sporting icons, hosted national and international events, showcasing African young excellence on the world stage.

ARAFAT ZUBAEAR Senior Reporter, Dhaka Post | Bangladesh
A senior sports reporter at Dhaka Post, a prominent sports journalist in Bangladesh, who has received multiple awards for sports reporting in Bangladesh. His reports have also ranked twice in the top place on the AIPS Asia ranking. This year, he achieved a special mention in the ” Promoting Diversity and Inclusion ” category at the AIPS Media Award.

STUART POLLITT Co-Director of Restless Films | United Kingdom
Co-Director of Restless Films, a UK production company which produces short films, documentaries, and event coverage of disability sports. Stuart is a former winner of the AIPS Best Video Documentary Award for his film “The Kennedy Who Changed The World” about the history of the Special Olympics founder. He has worked for broadcasters including ITV, the BBC, and the Olympic Broadcasting Service.

FERNANDO SORIA HERNANDEZ Secretary General, Instituto España se Mueve | Spain
Serving as Secretary General of España se Mueve (EsM), a Spanish non-profit association that promotes physical activity, health, and inclusion through sport at national and international levels. Within the SIMS Project, he drives EsM’s efforts to introduce an inclusive sports system across Europe. EsM focuses on awareness and communication strategies to make sport accessible, with CIRS (Communication for Inclusive and Responsible Sport) aiming to engage media outlets as key agents in promoting inclusion through sport.