The Association de la Presse Sportive du Bénin (APS-Benin) and the Federation Beninoise de Handball (FBHB) want to give new impetus to their collaboration. Gathered around APS-Benin President Ambrose Zinsou and FBHB President Sidikou Karimou, the two actors discussed ways to strengthen the media coverage of handball, better support press professionals and increase the visibility of the discipline in Benin.
Better cover and promote handball
The meeting allowed both parties to take stock of their collaboration and identify new avenues of work. Competition coverage, feedback from meetings, and television and digital retransmissions were at the heart of the exchanges.
The issue of club support was also addressed, as was the economic model of sports journalism. The aim is to consider mechanisms to enable media professionals to better value their activities and ultimately to live more.
Representatives of the APS-Benin welcomed the availability of FBHB and its responsiveness to the demands of the association. A closeness appreciated by Sidikou Karimou, who highlighted the role played by several journalists in the development and promotion of Beninese handball;" We have a very beautiful sports family around us," said FBHB president, stressing the regular presence of many media professionals alongside the Federation during the various competitions.
Journalists and commentators soon in training
One of the main areas chosen is the strengthening of the skills of journalists and commentators specialized in handball.
A refresher session should be organised for professionals to cover and comment on the meetings, particularly during the national phase of the championship. The initiative aims to enable them to better control the particularities of the discipline and, consequently, to improve the quality of the media treatment offered to the public.
Several aspects can be discussed during this training: the rules of handball, the evolution of arbitration, the texts and regulations of the Federation, technical concepts, statistics as well as the requirements specific to sports commentary and journalistic writing.
Two themes have already emerged as priorities:new arbitration rules and new texts and regulations of the Beninese Handball Federation.
Moving towards a true sports industry
However, the discussions did not focus solely on media coverage. The leaders of both structures also mentioned the need to reflect on the development of a real economic model around Beninese sport.
For Sidikou Karimo, the different actors need to take more initiatives to create the conditions for their own development.
" We must not wait for happiness to come elsewhere, people must create and make their happiness," he stressed.
This vision is part of a broader ambition: to gradually emerge a true sports industry in Benin, capable of generating opportunities for athletes, clubs, federations, but also for media professionals.
In this dynamic, the professionalization of sports journalism also appears to be an important issue. For APS-Benin, strengthening the partnership with FBHB must help improve the quality of handball coverage and increase the visibility of actors and competitions.
"Making our home grow"
At the end of the discussions, the leaders of the two structures expressed their willingness to continue joint initiatives and to transform this collaboration into concrete actions.
For Ambrose Zinsou, this approach is based primarily on a collective responsibility: "It is our home here, we have no choice but to make it grow, we have no choice whether our house is the beautiful house. »
A statement that summarizes the spirit of the meeting: to unite the various actors around the same objective, that of contributing to the development of Beninese handball and strengthening media support for the discipline.
The session ended with a family photo of participants, a symbol of a common desire to continue the work.
