SWAN demands seats on organising committees of major national competitions
The Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) has demanded formal representation in the Main Organising Committees (MOC) and Local Organising Committees (LOC) of major national sporting competitions.
The association specifically wants to be included in the planning structures for the Enugu 2026 National Sports Festival, National Youth Games and Lagos 2026 National Intermediate Games.
The demand was contained in the communiqué issued at the end of SWAN’s 2026 Triennial National Delegates Congress in Kaduna.
SWAN said the “shabby and embarrassing media accreditation process” experienced at the Ogun 2024 National Sports Festival exposed the consequences of excluding professional sports journalists from the planning and organisational structures of major competitions.
The Congress stressed that sports journalists should not be invited only when competitions are ready for coverage, arguing that the professional media must be integrated from the planning stage.
According to the association, sports journalists play a critical role in “media planning, accreditation, information management, publicity and projecting Nigeria’s sports image.”
SWAN therefore urged the Federal Government, National Sports Commission, state governments and organising bodies to adopt a standing policy of including the association in the MOC and LOC of major national sporting events.
The association also renewed its call on the NSC to allow SWAN to handle the accreditation process for sports journalists before and during the forthcoming Lagos National Intermediate Games and Enugu National Sports Festival.
The Congress argued that early involvement of professional sports journalists would improve coordination between organisers and the media, enhance information dissemination and reduce avoidable accreditation challenges.
It further stressed that effective media management was essential to the success and public perception of major sporting events.
SWAN reaffirmed its readiness to work with the NSC, state governments and organising committees in promoting professionalism, accountability and effective communication in Nigerian sports.
The association maintained that sports journalists are not merely spectators or end-users of competition information, but strategic stakeholders whose expertise should be incorporated into the planning and delivery of major sporting events.
Join the Savid News channel on WhatsApp:
