LAUSANNE, Switzerland, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- The inaugural edition of the International Sports Press Association (AIPS) Sport Media Awards took place here on Monday, with winners being announced in 10 categories.
The event received a total of 1,273 submissions from 119 nations which were whittled down to three finalists in each of the eight categories, before an 11-member jury voted on the overall winners.
Speaking at the ceremony, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach expressed his gratitude to the media in its coverage of sporting events and its transmission of sporting values.
"Without you, the media, transporting our events and values to the world, we could not be successful or reach these worldwide audiences as we do now," Bach said. "Thank you very much for this great cooperation."
Three submissions from China made their way into the final reckoning.
An exclusive article by Ma Yin concerning a social media log between Chinese coaches Lang Ping and Li Yan won the Journalistic Weblog category.
Xinhua photographer Liu Xu's picture "Young gymnasts", depicting children training in a Guizhou sports school, ranked second in the Photography Portfolio bracket.
"It is not just a personal glory, but also tells a good story of Chinese sports to the world," said Liu.
The remaining prize-winning submission from China was "The Football Roadmap" by Zhu He from China Central Television (CCTV), which took third place in the Video Documentary category.
"I feel quite encouraged that Chinese submissions managed to win three awards. It has demonstrated the quality and capability of our Chinese sports media, also showing much space to dig deeper in sports coverage," said Tu Xiaodong, Vice President of AIPS and President of Chinese Sports Media Association.
"We still need to give the world a better understanding of the change in Chinese peoples' lives, especially that which has been brought about by sports. We call on our sports journalists to discover more good stories in daily life and tell them to the world," he added.
