International sporting events create many exciting and unique moments with fans relying on members of the media to share those stories. At the Lake Placid 2023 FISU World University Games, six of the people covering events will be from the FISU/AIPS (International Sports Press Association) Young Reporters Programme. From many outstanding applicants, Julieta Boschiazzo (Argentina), Miha Trošt (Slovenia), Annika Saunus (Germany), Diana Hong (Korea), Christopher Benítez Cuartas (United States), and Louis Gilles (France) were selected to work in Lake Placid.

“Going to an international sport event, it’s a dream for me. I’m so excited to be in all of the competitions and breathe sport. I have never been in the USA, so I’m waiting to travel and get to know the city and join all the people who are going to the event and learn about their cultures,” said Boschiazzo exclaiming her excitement about the opportunity. Hong added “I am most excited about meeting my fellow reporters, literally from all around the world! I cannot wait to hear their insights of their experience in sports media so far and I look forward to covering the games with them.”

While leveraging their writing, interview, and video journalist skills to cover events across the Lake Placid and North Country regions will be their primary role, participants will also take part in lectures delivered by experienced journalists, broadcasters, and media experts. This will help round out the learning and further the development of these reporters embarking on their careers. “Throughout the programme, I hope to stretch my knowledge and gain new skills about the media coverage of sports events, a sector I’d love to work for in the future. I’m especially excited to work with a mentor and get new insights from an expert of the field,” said Saunus outlining her goals for the programme.

For many in the Young Reporters Programme, being at the FISU World University Games is a significant step in their careers, with many past participants having gone on to work in various sectors of the media. So, for those coming to Lake Placid, they see it as a significant potential step in their dreams of working in sports media. Louis Gilles commented, “Working as a journalist is fascinating in itself, but I do realize that the most motivation, happiness, and dedication I get [in] my job is when I talk or write about sports. It can’t be a coincidence!” Trošt echoed those sentiments adding, “Working as a team is going to make the programme even better and I think we can all progress in this aspect. The [FISU] World University Games is a big event – I think it is also important to learn how to work at such big events.”

Preparations are underway for each of the FISU Young Reporters to arrive in Lake Placid. It will be a busy time for them with many events to cover, interviews to conduct, photos to take, and stories to write. In considering his thoughts prior to arriving in Lake Placid, Benítez Cuartas summed up well the importance of major international events. “Sport can be the final safe haven from the commotion of the modern world. While it obviously isn’t immune to it, my main admiration of the [FISU] World University Games is that it is the closest in reaching said goal with the widest scope.” All six will get to experience and contribute to that starting 12 January at the Lake Placid 2023 FISU Games.

Written by Doug McLean