The
Secretary General of Gambia National Olympic Committee (GNOC), Abdoulie M.
Jallow, has outlined his committee’s plans for Gambian sports journalists in
the next quadrennial.
Addressing
journalists at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Sports Journalists
Association of The Gambia (SJAG) on Saturday 4 March 2017 at the Olympic House,
Mr Jallow said journalists, especially sports journalists, are key partners of
the National Olympic Committee.
He
said that during the new quadrennial 2017-2020, the National Olympic Committee
intends to work with sports journalists in promoting and developing sports in
The Gambia.
Mr
Jallow, who doubles as secretary general of The Gambia Basketball Association
(GBA), said one of their core mandates as a committee is to prepare a team to
the next Olympic Games in Japan in 2020. “It is important that sports
journalists follow the progress of all the athletes through the qualification
journey,” he said.
“We
should not underestimate the importance of publishing the profiles of the
athletes as it can motivate them to do better in each competition. This would
also help the general public to understand how athletes end up being selected
to represent The Gambia” he said.
Mr
Jallow reaffirmed that GNOC will continue to work with sports journalists and
will do its utmost to help in building the capacity of Gambian journalists.
“We have identified a course to be organised
by Zone II ANOCA, which two journalists would attend,” he told members of the
Sports Journalists Association of The Gambia.
“The
course should have been held in Mali last month but was postponed till further
notice. We will however continue to look for opportunities for your members
during our term in office. Even though
resources are scarce, we will endeavour to ensure our partnership is mutually
beneficial.”
The
GNOC secretary general also informed the gathering that they are in the process
of setting up commissions of the GNOC, which will serve as important pillars
and advisory bodies to the GNOC Board.
He
added that the Media Commission is one of these important pillars and they will
link with the Sports Journalists Association of The Gambia to provide names of
possible candidates to serve as commission members.
He
revealed that the role of the commission is to collaborate with the GNOC in the
production of effective reporting material for consumption by the sporting
fraternity and the general public.
“They
will be expected to device innovative ways of sports reporting in order to
build athlete staff esteem, especially women and girls,” he explained. “The
commission will also help in the sensitisation of athletes and coaches about
their attitudes towards their own trainings, winning and self-worth, to their
teammates and opponents.”
He
said they will also come up with sensitisation material for athletes and
coaches with regard to anti-doping and fair play through the use of media
images.
The
commission will conduct research and publicise the best practices of sports and
athletes development. It will also look at ways in which the NOC can help the
media by identifying potential partnerships with international media
institutions within the Olympic Movement, he said.
