There’s no doubt that for each and every professional sports journalist the highlight of a career are the Olympic Games. Those who have physically witnessed what the Games can offer express the feeling that these stimulate in the individual the antagonism which no other factor in life can produce.

In a career of more than 30 years in sport media I have witness and experienced this feeling for seven consecutive runs. Since the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles , having attended all editions of the Games held so far – 1988 Seoul , 1992 Barcelona, 1996 Atlanta, 2000 Sydney ,2004 Athens and now already looking forward for the 2008 edition in Beijing, at this stage it is important to make reference to the contribution of the media in the life span and development of the Olympic Movement. It is perhaps more by necessity rather than by coincidence that the early years of the Olympic Movement and the Association International de la Presse Sportive (A.I.P.S) can easily be classified as moving on the same track .

Who ever realised what will be the result, 118 years ago in 1887 when the French newspaper Le Petit Havre (The Small Harbour) had published an article relating to the International Olympic Committee. Undoubtedly, the article passed from ‘The small harbour’ unnoticed. In fact, the foundation was recorded as in 1894.

The sport media of that epoch was conscious of the fact that their role was not limited to the supplying of information, but they had also the moral obligation to favour the development in education of the general public.

The mentor of the Olympic Movement, Pierre de Coubertin, was himself a talented journalist. He had his own objectives: the promotion of physical education, sport and culture.

Nowadays perhaps we refer to these common factors as ‘the politics of sport’.

What is really the relation between the media and sport.

Sport by itself has always taken shape in the sacred and in legend.

We could even say that they are sport’s essence.

Sport can produce legends. Media can transmit legends.

What is a legend in sport – heroes, demigods, champions beyond time and space, reality or fiction, they all resemble each other.

They are of the same nature, they are of those we venerate, to whom we identify and of whom we dream. Through media, the myth lives beyond their existence.

As individuals or as the fruit of imaginations, they carry the values and give meaning. This meaning is not neutral. Those heroes are strong, powerful, combative, proud, voluntary, loyal, friendly and almost always have self control.

They assert themselves , they are capable of forging their destiny. In brief , they are what each one of us would like to be.

The Olympic Movement , undoubtedly was enriched by the number of contributions delivered by follow media colleagues .This is a testimony for generations to come. Many of our colleagues have been entrusted with positions of responsibility playing an important role in the setting of a national or international community.

It goes without saying that the world today has much changes.

There is the necessity of creating awareness and reflecting together. We shall not be afraid of provoking a debate on this matter. Modern technology has already much changes , the way we work, the way we thing and the way we produce our ideas . Now it would be necessary to change our ethics, the source of moral values and the essential element for practicing our profession with dignity.