The representatives of sports federations of Armenia very often blame the media for non-proper work. Media prefers to cover more popular kinds of sports with high ratings. There are 30 sports federations in Armenia and only one of them regularly uses/sends press releases.

There are also federations, which think that they should not have their contribution to the improvement of sports coverage in media and do not have a press officer.

One of them is the Weightlifting Federation of Armenia. Weightlifting is one of the most popular and popularized type of sports in Armenia. The Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs of Armenia has increased funding by 40 percent but like past years it is not enough to have press officers. ”We haven’t money but we don’t think that media coverage is a big deal, we are popular and we don’t need it,” says general secretary of Weightlifting Federation of Armenia Pashik Alaverdyan.

Read More »Sport without Press: Armenian Sports Federations do not Evaluate the Role of Media

50-year-old Taron humped, with an uncared beard and big eyes hardly seen because of long hair stands in front of subway doors of Shengavit district trying to get warm. He has not a shelter and survives in the streets.

“I am here, because I am not lucky enough to have good children,” says Taron.

The only thing Taron said about his appearing in the streets is that no one from his relatives have had time or place to help him. He said nothing else about his family.

“I need some warm place for winter, but policemen never let me stay here”.

He always wears a long coat and a hat. This helps him especially in winter. Taron is seen in the subway station only in the mornings. Then, according to witnesses, he runs away from the police. Gohar Ghazaryan, who works in the market near this subway station, says that Taron comes back when police is not near.

“He always has 2 bags with him: one for food, the other for clothes. He also begs for money or finds something in the bins,” says Gohar.

But the streets are not the only place Taron has been recently. He has been in a homeless shelter for a month and then left it. Why, he didn’t say.

Read More »Home for Homeless: Yerevan Temporary Shelters Give Chance to Survive

Figure Skating fails to develop in Armenia. The only figure skating school in Shengavit district in Yerevan is in awful condition- no ice rink, only a few halls for gymnastics. The children studying there have to train in the open air skating rink of Karapi Lich (Swan lake) near the Opera House and sometimes in sport and concert complex after Karen Demirchyan.

The skating rink of Karapi Lich is open from 14 December to 28 February. If you come with your own skates you have to pay 500 drams per hour but if you rent skates it costs 1000 drams an hour. “The children studying at figure skating school in Shengavit district train here for free. There are specific hours for them to come to train with their coaches: from 9am to 11am and from 4pm to 5 pm,” said Sargis Bejanyan, the head of service of skating rink of Karapi Lich.”

Sargis told that the skating rink belongs to City Hall of Yerevan that cares for the comfort and safety of figure skaters. They have technical break every day from 5 to 6pm during which they restore the ice with special machines and make it ready for the skaters. They also have first-aid posts near the rink in case there are some injuries, breaks or fractures.

Read More »Frozen Issue of Figure Skating: To Be or Not Be in Winter Olympic Games 2014 in Sochi

The “Journalists for the Future” NGO developed the “Online Journalist’s Code of Ethics” the first discussion of which took place on March 30 – April 1 in Aghveran during the training course “Online Coverage of Elections” organized by the JFF.

After some editing the Code was signed by 18 present journalists on April 1.

According to the JFF president Suren Deheryan, the “Online Journalist’s Code of Ethics” was developed alongside with journalists who co-operate with the NGO, in order to form common working approaches. But it can also be useful to anyone who wants to differ the real and qualified publishers from fake and doubtful informators.

“We emphasize the importance of our colleagues’ investment in the document improvement and we invite all the interested organizations to make their offers and comments,” says Deheryan.

The “Coverage of the Elections in New Media Platforms” training was organized in the frames of the “Invormed Voter” program with the financial support of the US Embassy in Armenia and the OSCE office in Yerevan.

The aim of the program is to encourage free and transparent elections supporting increase of the awareness of Armenia’s regional voters and their active participation in Parliamentary elections in May, 2012.

Read More »Armenian Journalists Sign the “Online Journalist’s Code of Ethics”

The International Partnership Group for Azerbaijan (IPGA) condemns the blackmail and continued harassment of one of the few independent investigative journalists working in Azerbaijan, Khadija Ismayilova. The most recent episode in the harassment campaign involves a one minute film of an intimate nature being posted on the internet on Wednesday March 14). A week earlier Ismayilova said she had received a letter including intimate photographs and a threat, stating “Whore, behave. Or you will be defamed”. Ismayilova has publically refused to give in to the blackmail attempts.

The intimate film, which was captured with a hidden camera, was posted early yesterday on a fake news website, making it appear to be linked to an opposition party. Members of the IPGA, a coalition of international NGOs, call for an immediate and full investigation into the harassment and intimidation of Ismayilova. The IPGA also reminds public and private broadcasters, print and on-line media of their ethical responsibilities and editorial oversight and urge them to refrain from further publication and dissemination of the material.

Read More »Azerbaijan: In Solidarity with Khadija Ismayilova