PUNCH Newspapers sports reporter, Abiodun Adewale, has received a special mention for climate change and sustainability reportage in sports at the eighth International Sports Press Association Media Awards held in Lausanne in April.
The AIPS crowned winners in writing, video, audio, and photography during a memorable night at the Olympic Museum. Special mentions at the awards are reserved for works that strongly reflect AIPS’ core values, such as promoting positive societal change, raising awareness on critical issues, and advancing the role of sport beyond competition.
Adewale, who won the AIPS Africa Award in 2024, earned global acclaim with his special feature story, “Sports vs Plastic: The new global contest redefining waste recycling,” published in August 2025. His work stood out for spotlighting how sport can serve as a catalyst in the global fight against plastic waste.
The story captured volunteers’ efforts at the 2024 National Sports Festival, held in May 2025 in Abeokuta, Ogun State, and explored how a major multi-sport event generated vast volumes of plastic waste – and how organised recycling efforts transformed a sports venue into a hub for environmental action and innovation.
More Read
“This special mention is not just a validation; it underscores the growing influence of African sports journalism on the global stage, particularly in telling stories that transcend match results and athlete performances,” Adewale said.
The AIPS Sport Media Awards, organised by the International Sports Press Association, are widely regarded as the most prestigious global honours in sports journalism, celebrating excellence across writing, photography, audio, and video, with entries subjected to a rigorous multi-stage judging process involving industry experts and a global jury.
According to AIPS, the 2025 competition received 1,987 submissions from 130 countries, which, after five voting stages, were narrowed down to a longlist, shortlist, and top 10 candidates before the final three nominees were decided. The winners were announced at the gala following the last voting stage held at FIFA headquarters in Zurich on the eve of the event.
“You are all winners, and with the high quality of your work, you’ve shown the way for the new generation, because good journalism will always prevail,” AIPS president Gianni Merlo said in his opening speech.
International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry also said, “It is a great pleasure to welcome you. What a great location, and what great timing after the Milano Cortina celebration of sport, a new kind of Winter Games. You, the sports journalists, helped share that message around the world. This is why your association matters so much. Your AIPS Media Awards are a great example of this, celebrating excellence in storytelling for the next generations.”
