By sportsnewsarena correspondent
May 12, 2017
Evelyn Watta is now a vice president of the International Sports Press Association, AIPS.
Watta becomes the the first African to be elected to the helm of the Switzerland-based organisation.
Watta received the highest majority of the votes at 90.8% meaning she got 90 votes from the 96 countries who took part in the vote on Friday in Pyeong Chang, South Korea.
“I am so delighted and almost unbelievable! This is a win not only for Kenya but for African journalism. I hope it can inspire women and young sports writers all over the world.
"My plan is to continue serving the interest of the members as I have done over the last 10 years and advance the mission of our association, which is to ensure the best working conditions for sports journalists around the world,” Watta, told Sports News Arena from the Korean city which will host the Winter Olympic games in 2018. At 37 she is the youngest member to be elected to the vice post.
Watta, a producer with the Olympic Channel previously served the association formed in 1924, as a board member and a Secretary General.
She is one of the two women elected on Friday. Hungary's Csisztu Zsusza will serve as a board member.
She has worked for Sports News Arena as a senior writer and sub editor.
Italian Gianni Merlo will serve as President of the AIPS for the third time. He was unopposed alongside the first Vice President from Turkey Esat Yialmer and Croatia’s Jura Ozmec the Treasurer.
Morad Moutaouakkil, a Moroccan broadcaster was the second African voted on the board at the end of the congress which opened in Seoul on May 9.
The new executive committee: Gianni Merlo (President) Italy
Esat Yilmaer (First Vice President)
Turkey Jura Ozmec (Treasurer) Croatia
Vice Presidents:
Evelyn Watta (Kenya)
Daras Ioannis (Greece)
Hiji Ali Mohammed (Qatar)
Nikolai Dolgopolov (Russia)
Members:
Josef Langer (Austria)
Dattoli Vicente (Brazil)
Jean Paul Savart (France)
Csisztu Zsusza (Hungary)
Ahmadi Seyed Abdolhamid(Iran)
Hiroshi Takeuchi (Japan)
Emmanuel Fantaneanu (Romania)
Isa Ahmad Khawari (Malaysia)
Morad Moutaouakkil (Morocco)
Jose Zidar (Slovenia)
Antonio Prieto Juan(Spain)
Hee-Don Jung (South Korea)
Ernesto Ortiz Gomez (Uruguay)
