Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 17 October (BelTA) – Streamlined accreditation of foreign reporters for the 2014 world ice hockey championship will greatly facilitate the work of mass media. The opinion was voiced by Piotr Ryabukhin, a manager of the directorate in charge of arranging the championship, as he commented on Belarus president decree No. 477, BelTA has learned.

The decree has been adopted to regulate some aspects of the world ice hockey championship’s coverage by mass media. The document clearly outlines procedures that reporters have to follow to work in Belarus. Piotr Ryabukhin said: “Those, who specifically intend to cover the world championship, will have to go to the website of the International Ice Hockey Federation for accreditation. These reporters have the right to enter Belarus without visas in line with another presidential decree on visa-free entrance for world championship participants”. According to the source, the International Ice Hockey Federation will start the accreditation of reporters on 18 November 2013 and will stop it in February 2014.

Those reporters, who opt out of accreditation via the International Ice Hockey Federation, will be able to work in Belarus outside the sport arenas where matches will be held. These reporters will have to contact the Belarusian Foreign Ministry and pass the standard accreditation procedure.

According to Piotr Ryabukhin, the new decree clearly separates reporters of sport mass media, who will cover the world ice hockey championship, and their colleagues from other mass media. The document facilitates the operation of the organizing committee and mass media themselves. Journalists now know exactly how to go about getting accreditation to work in Belarus during the championship, believes the manager of the directorate.

Piotr Ryabukhin reminded about the relevant statement made by President of International Ice Hockey Federation Rene Fasel. The IIHF President pointed out that the press service and the championship’s organizing committee will keep an eye on reporters. Piotr Ryabukhin quoted Rene Fasel as saying: “Sport reporters will certainly be able to write about the life in Belarus but it will be only part of their ice hockey coverage. Their interests will be prioritized during accreditation for the championship. If reporters of various political mass media, which don’t care for sport, try to get accreditation via the International Ice Hockey Federation, the organizing committee and the IIHF will work together to track such attempts and protect rights of sport reporters. Reporters, who have not covered ice hockey or sport, will not get accreditation”.

In line with regulations of the world ice hockey championship the event will be covered by 300 reporters of printed mass media, 100 photo reporters, and 50 commentators. The number does not include support staff, who will be accredited using other procedures. Belarus will be represented by 50 reporters of printed mass media and 20 photo reporters. “The organizing committee has already faced some Belarusian agencies, including advertising ones, which try to get accreditation while they don’t cover sport at all. Such requests are denied because the agencies have not written about ice hockey or sport previously,” noted Piotr Ryabukhin in conclusion.