World Radio Day 2018: Radio and Sports

World Radio Day 2018: Radio and Sports

The seventh World Radio Day will be held on 13 February 2018 with the theme “Radio and Sports”. In this year’s celebration, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) enjoins all radio stations and supporting organizations “to strengthen diversity, peace and development through sports broadcasting.” 

World Radio Day 2018 has the following UNESCO sub-themes:

  • Diversity in Sports Coverage: Through the coverage of traditional and grassroots games, radio can reconnect people with their cultural heritage, promoting freedom of expression and diversity through cultural expression;
  • Gender Equality in Sports Coverage: Sports coverage is hugely powerful in shaping norms and stereotypes about gender. Radio has the ability to challenge these norms, promoting a balanced coverage of men’s and women’s sports and a fair portrayal of sportspeople irrespective of gender;
  • Peace and Development through Sports Coverage: Through greater coverage of sports for peace and development initiatives, the universal values of non-violence, solidarity and tolerance are recognized and celebrated.

World Radio Day has been proclaimed to “celebrate radio as a medium, to improve international cooperation between broadcasters, and to encourage major networks and community radio alike to promote access to information, freedom of expression and gender equality over the airwaves” (World Radio Day 2018 website).

For more information about World Radio Day 2018, visit the official website here.

For ideas on how to participate, contact Aditi Tyagi of UNESCO.

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