Ian Walker, the winning skipper of the Volvo Ocean Race, has turned the spotlight on reporters who covered the round-the-world race and urged them to submit their work for a global sports journalism award hosted in Abu Dhabi.
Walker paid tribute to the “hard work and dedication” of the on-board reporters who brought the drama of the race to global audiences through regular blog submissions as well as photos and videos.
The two-time Olympic silver medallist and skipper of the victorious Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing team appreciates the importance of telling a story through sports journalism.
“I’ve just spent nine months offshore with our own on-board reporter and, quite frankly, the success of the race is through their hard work and dedication,” he said. “Without great people to tell great stories, it would be very difficult for anyone to follow this race.”
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Walker is asking reporters across the globe to enter their best work in the Sport Media Pearl Awards to be held in Abu Dhabi at the end of the year.
The Pearl Awards are the first international endeavour dedicated to the sport media industry and recognise the best in sport journalism from across the world.
Managed by AIPS (International Sports Press Association) and hosted by Abu Dhabi Media, the awards seek to reward quality across all platforms dedicated to sports journalism, including video, digital, audio and the written word.
The aim is to reward outstanding talents and celebrate an industry that is vital to the world of sport.
The Volvo race places an on-board reporter onto each boat. Their job is to capture the best stories through video, photography, words and audio and send them back to race headquarters so fans across the world can keep up to date with the action.
The Pearl Awards will be held in Abu Dhabi in December, with sports journalists from around the world entering their work in the hope of being recognised on the world stage.
A temporary exhibition of submissions and a conference dedicated to sport media will take place in the week before the final awards ceremony.
The deadline for entries is September 7. For details on the awards, how to register and enter, and eligibility, go to sportmediapearlawards.com.
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