Mobile Journalism and Social Media workshop for Journalists

Karachi: A group photo after workshop at Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi

KARACHI: Sports Journalists Association of Sindh (SJAS) arranged a Workshop on ‘Mobile Journalism and Social Media’ its importance, in collaboration with Arts Council of Pakistan here the other day.
The workshop was attended by large number of sports journalists including SJAS members. Video attached here

Karachi: Muhammad Asif Khan highlighted importance of social media for news.

Senior journalists, Asif Khan, Faizan Lakhani, Mehmood Riaz and Ubaid Awan, work with news channels, gave a detail briefing on Mobile Journalism.
Senior journalists while highlighted the use mobile phones during reporting, said during making of mobile video, the most important thing is how to hold it, being a professional journalist.

Karachi: Mr Faizan Lakhani delivered lecture how to use mobile in field to make footage and how to edit it for news.

Choosing a good mobile for personal use with different features including developing, editing, formatting, message sending, storage apps plays the role of a newsroom in your own hand.
On the occasion, former member of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Governing Board and ex-President of Karachi City Cricket Association (KCCA), Ejaz Farooqui said that the assistance of the journalists is to be consistent with modern technology.
SJAS has set an example for other journalists’ associations by organizing such type of workshops, he added.

Karachi: Mr Ubaid Awan highlighted role of social media and citizen journalism

Tariq Aslam, SJAS President said that mobile phone has become the most important tool for improving journalism and reporting.
The aim of the workshop is to maintain the continuity of learning and teaching process, Tariq opined.

Karachi: Mr Mehmood Riaz delivered his lecture about social media

Muhammad Asghar Azeem, Secretary SJAS said while delivering his speech said that today the mobile phone is been assisting in almost every sector of our society as civilians recoding on the spot videos have helped in apprehending lots of criminals and one can imagine what a journalist can do with it.

Karachi: Mr Ubaid Awan receiving certificate after workshop from Prof. Ijaz Ahmed Farooqui (Sec. Arts Council)

Mobile journalism is no threat to cameraman but can be compatible with the modern requirements of journalism.
Cameraman can also switch to mobile journalism so that in the world, he would be called video journalists instead of Cameraman, Secretary SJAS concluded.
Later, Professor Ejaz Farooqui distributed certificates to the participants.

Karachi: A view of workshop participants

Karachi: SJAS President Tariq Aslam and Secretary Asghar Azeem receiving their certificates.

World’s Best Athletes and Squads To Compete In 2018 Major League Triathlon Series

Charlotte, NC – Major League Triathlon is proud to announce new squad-based teams and franchises for 2018. Major League Triathlon will welcome 5 squads and 3 composite teams for the 2018 season.

“This new squad based system will bring the World’s top athletes to MLT”, said Daniel Cassidy, CEO of Major League Triathlon. “We will have virtually every single USA athlete that is favored to race in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in the league this year. We will also have some of the top international athletes competing, including the reigning World Champions of Mixed Team Relay, the Australians.”

MLT teams will carry a roster with a minimum of 6 athletes. During each round of the series, the top 4 athletes from each team will compete.

The following squads will race for MLT:

1. San Diego Stingrays- Represented by Paulo Sousa’s Squad
2. Arizona Kingsnakes- Represented by Jono Hall’s Squad
3. Colorado Peaks– Represented by Neal Henderson’s Squad
4. Toronto Freeze – Represented by Craig Taylor’s Squad
5. Atlantic City Waves – Represented by Ian O’Brien’s Squad
6. Carolina Gliders – Represented by Composite Team #1 (Captain Ben Kanute)
7. Florida Sun- Represented by Composite Team #2 (Captain John O’Neill)
8. Australian Franchise-TBA– Represented by an Australian Composite Squad

MLT rosters will have the top ranked US Male athletes including, but not limited to:

Ben Kanute
Matt McElroy
Kevin McDowell
Eric Lagerstrom
Eli Hemming
Jason West

MLT rosters will also have some of the top US Female athletes including, but not limited to:

Summer Cook
Taylor Spivey
Lindsey Jerdonek
Tamara Gorman 
Chelsea Burns

Beyond the US based powerhouse athletes, MLT will also feature international stars on team rosters, including:  

Paula Findlay
Dominika Jamnicky
Joanna Brown
Matt Sharpe
Tyler Mislawchuk
Jason Wilson

In addition, Major League Triathlon will be offering amateur ambassador teams for fans and athletes to support and interact with their local pro team franchise. MLT will be releasing more information about amateur ambassador teams in the coming weeks.

Major League Triathlon

Major League Triathlon is the first and only professional triathlon league in the United States. Major League Triathlon hosts races in major cities across the United States. Major League Triathlon was formed in 2016 with the goal of creating a more spectator-friendly version of triathlon. Major League Triathlon aims to grow the sport of triathlon on both an amateur and professional level. For a complete list of Major League Triathlon events, visit www.majorleaguetri.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Ex USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry appeared in Michigan court

Michigan – Former USA Gymnastic team doctor Larry Nassar, accused of sexually assaulting dozens women and girls, pleaded guilty Wednesday to seven counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct in a Michigan court.

Three of those charges applied to victims under 13, and three applied to victims 13 to 15 years old. Other charges were dismissed or reduced as part of a plea agreement. All 125 victims who reported assaults to Michigan State Police will be allowed to give victim impact statements at Nassar’s sentencing, according to the plea deal.

Nassar made a short statement apologizing and saying he was hopeful the community could move forward.

“For all those involved, I’m so horribly sorry that this was like a match that turned into a forest fire out of control,” he said. “I have no animosity toward anyone. I just want healing. … We need to move forward in a sense of growth and healing and I pray (for) that.”

Judge Rosemarie Aquilina said Nassar violated the trust of his patients and praised the victims for coming forward.

“You violated the oath that you took to do no harm, and you harmed them selfishly,” Aquilina said. “They are superheroes for all of America because this is an epidemic.”

In all, Nassar had been charged with 22 counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and 11 counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct at the state level, Megan Hawthorne, deputy press secretary for state Attorney General Bill Schuette, told CNN in July.

A number of women, including several gold-medal winning members of the famed “Fierce Five” team of American gymnasts, have accused Nassar of sexual misconduct in his role as the USA Gymnastics doctor.

Nassar was the team physician for the Michigan State University gymnastics and women’s crew teams as well as an associate professor at MSU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine. He worked at MSU from 1997 to 2016 and served as the USA Gymnastics physician through four Olympic Games.

Several of the first-degree charges pertained to victims under 13, and all of the state-level charges involve former family friends, gymnasts and patients of Nassar, Hawthorne said.

Separately, Nassar is also awaiting sentencing on federal charges of receiving child pornography, possessing child pornography and a charge that he hid and destroyed evidence in the case. That hearing is scheduled for Monday.

CNN

Three times Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas sexually abused by USA Gymnastics team physician

New York – Three-times Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas said on Tuesday she was sexually abused by former USA Gymnastics team physician Larry Nassar, the latest in a list of female athletes to accuse the doctor of misconduct.

Douglas, who last week was criticized for placing some of the onus on women to avoid sexual harassment, apologized again for her remarks while adding that she too was abused by Nassar, who is in jail awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to federal child pornography charges.

In an Instagram post on Tuesday addressing last week’s comments that were viewed by some as victim shaming, Douglas wrote: ”It would be like saying that because of the leotards we wore, it was our fault that we were abused by Larry Nassar.

“I didn’t publicly share my experiences as well as many other things because for years we were conditioned to stay silent and honestly some things were extremely painful.”

Jeff Raymond, a publicist for Douglas, confirmed in an email that the gymnast was in fact “confirming that she too was a victim of Larry Nassar.”

Nassar’s attorney, Matt Newburg, was not immediately available for comment but has previously said that due to a gag order imposed he had no comment.

Douglas is the third member of the ‘Fierce Five’ gymnastics team who won a team gold at the 2012 London Olympics to allege abuse by Nassar, joining Aly Raisman and McKayla Maroney.

It was after Raisman’s allegations last week that Douglas wrote in a since-deleted post on Twitter that “it is our responsibility as women to dress modestly and be classy. Dressing in a provocative/sexual way entices the wrong crowd.”

(Reuters)

Paralympics – Para athlete of UAE Abdullah Hayayei passes away in London

London: The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is deeply saddened to announce the death of United Arab Emirates (UAE) Para athlete Abdullah Hayayei following a training ground incident this evening (11 July) in London, Great Britain.

Hayayei, 36, a thrower in the F34 class, was training at Newham Leisure Centre in preparation for the World Para Athletics Championships London 2017 which open on Friday when the incident took place.

Emergency services were called shortly after 17:00 to reports of a seriously injured man. Police, London Ambulance Service and London’s Air Ambulance attended the scene.  At 17:20 the athlete was pronounced dead at the scene.
The athlete’s family who are in the UAE have been informed of his death and the UAE team were brought together at the team hotel to be informed of the tragic news.

Sir Philip Craven, IPC President, said: “We are all truly devastated by this tragic news and the passing of Abdullah. The thoughts, prayers and condolences of the whole Paralympic Movement are with Abdullah’s family, friends and teammates as well as the whole of the National Paralympic Committee of the UAE.  We are all in state of shock at this terrible tragedy.”

Ed Warner, Co-chair of London 2017, said: “This is a devastating event and everyone within the London 2017 Organising Committee is shocked and saddened.  Our thoughts and prayers are with all of Abdullah’s family and teammates at what is undoubtedly a very difficult time for them.  We will be working closely with all the competitors and teams over the days ahead to offer support wherever it is needed.”

Sir Robin Wales, Mayor of Newham said: “The whole of Newham will be saddened by this tragic incident. All our thoughts of course are with the family of Abdullah Hayayei at this time.”

Chelsey Gotell, Chairperson of the IPC Athletes’ Council said: “The IPC Athlete Council is devastated to hear about the passing of Abdullah Hayayei.

“As the Paralympic athlete community, we come together to celebrate the joy of sport but we also come together as a family to mourn during the most difficult of times. On belief of all Paralympic athletes, we would like to extend our unwavering love and support to his family, teammates, friends and the NPC of the United Arab Emirates.”

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have been informed about the incident.
Last September, Hayayei made his Paralympic debut at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.  He finished sixth in the javelin F34 and seventh in shot put F34.

London 2017 was to be Hayayei’s second World Championships. At the 2015 event in Doha, Qatar, he finished fifth in the discus F34 and eighth in shot put F34.  He was set to compete in the shot put, discus and javelin F34 events.
During Friday’s Opening Ceremony at the London Stadium a moment of silence will be held in honour of Hayayei’s death.

Veteran sports journalists to be honored by AIPS at World Athletics Championship

LAUSANNE: In anticipation of the World Championships in Athletics 2017 in London, International Sports Press Association (AIPS) and IAAF will honor veteran sports journalists who have covered 10 (ten) or more World Championships throughout their career.

As the International Sports Press Association, AIPS will recognize sports media for their significant contribution in the coverage and promotion of World Athletics, at the ongoing 16th edition of the event, being held in London, UK, August 4-13.
Journalists who have covered at least 10 (ten) World Championships in athletics as accredited media representatives, that is World Championships spanning from the last 20 years or more will be recognized at the event, and are welcome to send in their submissions and CVs to the following

In order to be bestowed the honor, a journalist must have covered the Championships while working for a media organization as a reporter/freelance in the written press, a photographer or a TV/radio
Reporter. Journalists may provide proof of their coverage (accreditation badges, articles, photos, etc).

Kerala hosts India’s first-ever athletics meet for transgenders

Kerala, India:

At least 132 people on Friday participated in the first-ever athletics meet for transgender persons organised by the Kerala government at Thiruvananthapuram’s Central Stadium. The first-of-its-kind tournament saw them taking part in popular track and field events such as sprint, relay race, shot put and long jump.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs AC Moideen and the Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran were part of the organising committee. Each district council in Kerala appointed a coach and allotted a ground for the participants to train for three days before the tournament.

Event co-ordinator Anil Arjunan said the State Sports Commission held workshops for coaches and sports authorities before the event. “Coaches from all the districts were invited to Thiruvananthapuram,” he told DNA. “We told them who is a transgender is, as it is an umbrella term, and discussed the issues that the community faces and factors that have stopped them from participating in sports.”

The initiative was welcomed by members of the marginalised community. “I had been selected in the state team for 400 m relay at the age of 15,” Sreekutty, a participant, told The Times of India. “In the years that followed, I had to take a back seat from such sports events due to persistent social stigma. After these many years I am so excited to participate in a sports meet. This time, I am going to try my luck in shot put.’’

Austin Marathon 5K benefiting the Paramount announced

AUSTIN, Texas, July 18, 2016 — High Five Events, one of the largest privately owned event production companies in the United States, has opened registration for the Austin Marathon 5K benefiting the Paramount. The Austin Marathon 5K will take place on Sunday, Feb. 19, 2017; the same day as the Austin Marathon and Half Marathon® presented by NXP. The 5K will be capped at 2000 participants.

The Austin Marathon 5K will begin at 7:30 a.m. The 3.1-mile course will begin on Congress Avenue and showcase downtown Austin and the University of Texas before finishing in front of the Paramount Theatre. It will then switch to the marathon course. The Austin Theatre Alliance, which manages the Paramount and Stateside Theatres, is also an Austin Gives Miles Official Charity.

“The Paramount is thrilled to be partnering with the 2017 Austin Marathon and Half Marathon and honored to be the beneficiary of the Austin Marathon 5K,” said Maica Jordan, Executive Director of Development for the Austin Theatre Alliance. “This is an ideal marriage of two Austin icons – the Paramount Theatre and the Austin Marathon and Half Marathon.”

The Austin Marathon and Half Marathon will celebrate its 26th year running in Austin. Austin’s flagship running event annually attracts runners from all 50 states and 20+ countries around the world. With start and finish locations just a few blocks apart, and within walking distance of many downtown hotels and restaurants, the Austin Marathon and Half Marathon is the perfect running weekend destination. Participants can still register for the marathon or the half marathon.

“We’re excited to continue this partnership with the Paramount,” said Jack Murray, co-owner of High Five Events. “We have two goals for this 5K: put on a successful event and help support an Austin icon.”

About High Five Events:

Beginning with the launch of a single triathlon in 2003, High Five Events has grown to become one of the largest privately owned event production companies in the United States. In addition to the events it owns and produces, the Austin, Texas-based company offers consulting and event production services to dozens of additional events each year. High Five Events is community-centric and has more than 83 years’ experience organizing large events across different venue types in a variety of locations. Follow High Five Events on Twitter (@highfiveevents), Instagram (@highfiveevents), and Facebook (facebook.com/HighFiveEventsWorldWide/) for news and updates.

About NXP Semiconductors:

NXP Semiconductors N.V. (NASDAQ:NXPI) enables secure connections and infrastructure for a smarter world, advancing solutions that make lives easier, better, and safer. As the world leader in secure connectivity solutions for embedded applications, NXP is driving innovation in the secure connected vehicle, end-to-end security and privacy, and smart connected solutions markets. Built on more than 60 years of combined experience and expertise, the company has 45,000 employees in more than 35 countries and posted revenue of $6.1 billion in 2015. Find out more at www.nxp.com.