The new AIPS Executive Committee has begun its first official in-person meeting since its election, with members gathering in Santa Susanna, Spain, to set priorities for the next four years of the international sports journalists’ association.
The meeting runs from September 21 to 24 and comes five months after the 88th AIPS Congress in Lausanne, where the Executive Committee for the 2026–2030 term was elected.
The committee held an introductory meeting immediately after the elections and subsequently met online in May, June and August. The Santa Susanna gathering is its first full in-person working meeting of the new term.
AIPS said discussions will focus on the issues expected to shape its work over the next four years, including the creation of expert working groups to guide specific initiatives.
Preparations for future AIPS congresses are also on the agenda. The committee is reviewing the organisation of the 2026 Congress in Lausanne and discussing preparations for the next Congress in Addis Ababa.
Two of AIPS’ major journalism initiatives — the Young Reporters Programme and the AIPS Sport Media Awards — are also part of the discussions.
AIPS President Gianni Merlo told Executive Committee members that changes in the media profession require the organisation to keep developing its approach.
“We have to look to the next four years. Our profession is developing quickly and we must run, not walk. We are here to find new ideas,” Merlo said.
The meeting marks AIPS’ third major visit to Santa Susanna in three years. The Spanish coastal municipality hosted an Executive Committee meeting in 2023 before staging the AIPS Congress and Sport Media Awards in 2024, the year the association celebrated its centenary.
Santa Susanna Mayor Joan Campolier welcomed committee members and highlighted the municipality’s use of sport as part of its development and international profile.
The president of the Spanish Sports Press Association, Leandro “Tito” Irazusta Adarraga, also attended the opening programme and expressed the association’s support for AIPS activities.
International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation President Rafael Santonja addressed the committee remotely on Tuesday, speaking about cooperation between sport and the media.
The Santa Susanna discussions come at the beginning of a new four-year cycle for AIPS, with the committee expected to use the meeting to develop the working structures and projects that will guide the association through 2030.
