The concept of inclusive sports journalism was on the front burner in Santa Susanna, Spain on April 30, 2024 at the 86th AIPS Congress. Fernando Soria Hernandez, secretary general of the Instituto España se Mueve and his colleague Marc Declercq, who is in charge of international projects, introduced an interesting initiative: SIMS (Sport Inclusion Media Seal).

CHAMPIONING INCLUSION This seal will be used to recognise media organisations that champion inclusion and equal opportunities within sports. This could be achieved in two ways: by disseminating and promoting inclusive sports and by disseminating and promoting non-inclusive sports with an inclusive approach.

DEFINITION IS INCLUSIVE SPORT Inclusive sport, as defined by European institutions, refers to sporting activities and environments that are open and accessible to all individuals, regardless of their age, gender, ability, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, or any other characteristic that might create barriers to participation. 

PODIUM PLACES An online training has been designed for the certification process and there are three levels of certification: gold, silver and bronze, each with its path and requirements. The training also enhances knowledge on the coverage of inclusive sports initiatives as the seal aims to transform media entities “from mere communicators to promoters” of inclusion and equal opportunities through sports.

PARTNERS Instituto España se Mueve (IEsM) is the entity leading the SIMS project. Other partners include AIPS, TAFISA, ENAIP and EASPD (European Association of Service providers for Persons with Disabilities). The 30-month project, fully-funded by the European Commission's Erasmus+ Sport programme, began last year and is a follow-up to an earlier initiative that confirmed that media involvement in inclusion through sports was “almost non-existent”.