BUDAPEST, June 5, 2024 - How to promote European handball in the media and how to guarantee perfect working conditions for all professional media at top events of the European Handball Federation – those were two of the main topics discussed at the annual meeting of the AIPS handball working group with representatives of the EHF media & communications department.
On the fringes of the Women’s EHF FINAL4, the final tournament of the EHF Champions League Women in Budapest, Thomas Schöneich (head of EHF media & communications department), Jelena Bagaric (head of media operations at EHF events), Thorsten vom Wege (chairman of the AIPS handball working group) and the AIPS working group members Uros Hocevar and Björn Pazen had fruitful discussions on many aspects of media operations. “Special guest” of the meeting was Zsusza Csisztu (AIPS Vice President and Vice-President of the Hungarian Sports Journalists’ Association), who contributed many ideas and opinions on overall media and AIPS matters.
The core part was the discussion on the outcome of the joint AIPS/EHF media survey of the Men’s EHF EURO 2024 in Germany. Since many years both organisations ask for the opinion of the media representatives at European Championships. Considering that this time, the number of accredited media was a record-breaking high of more than 1000, the input of the colleagues, together with the experience of EHF and AIPS working group members on-site led to several innovative decisions taken at the annual meeting in Budapest.
The main conclusions for future media operations at EHF events were connected to various fields like press conferences, media seats/routing, the situation and separation in the mixed zones, media catering, free usage of public transport at European championships, trying to become almost paperless, internet in the arenas and photo positions.
In an open and purposeful discussion, all those matters were handled in a mutual way to safeguard the future of professional media working conditions at EHF events.
Besides, the situation of the lack of cooperation in terms of media matters by the International Handball Federation – in a complete contrast to the EHF - was underlined by the AIPS working group members.
Zsusza Csisztu gave interesting insights on the AIPS point of view of content creators vs. traditional media – and the way other federations and the AIPS deal with this matter. “The main tasks among sports media are always the same regardless the sports,” was her conclusion. EHF and AIPS handball group praised the media working conditions in Hungary, especially in the 2022-opened MVM dome in Budapest, the venue of the Women’s EHF FINAL4. The cooperation of EHF, Hungarian Handball Federation and NEMA agency was extended until 2027 right before the start of the tournament, which finally was won by Hungarian record winners Audi ETO Györ, beating German final debutants SG BBM Bietigheim in a final attended by more than 18,000 fans.
