Director of Al-Thowra’s Sports Department Khalid Al-Sowdy: “We Aim to Develop the Sports Department Through Suggestions and Analysis.” [Archives:1999/10/Sports]

As part of the changes that are taking place in the official media sector, a positive development took place in the sports department of Al-Thowra daily newspaper. Mr. Khalid Al-Sowdy, a well-known young athlete and journalist has been appointed director of the sports department in Al-Thowra. The sports department in the past has suffered from looseness, ignorance, and financial shortages. However, this latest change leads many sports analyzers and journalists to be optimistic about the Al-Thowra’s future. Part of the reason behind this is that Al-Sowdy is known for his strong stand on supporting sports, and has been behind solving all sorts of problems and obstacles that faced the development of sports in Yemen. He is also a person who knows exactly how to handle issues like the lack of expertise in sports, and the required steps to correct them.
Yemen Times also knows that this change will be a major milestone in the development of the sports department of Al-Thowra, and in supporting sports activities in Yemen through the official media. This is mainly due to the position of Al-Thowra as the most influential daily newspaper in Yemen, which will now deal with daily sports activities.
To hear more of the future ambitions of Al-Sowdy, and how he hopes to improve and revive the sports department of Al-Thowra, Yemen Times Editor Jamal Al-Awadhi filed the following interview with Mr. Khalid Al-Sowdy, Al-Thowra’s new director of the sports department.
Excerpts:
Q: What is the role of the sports page in Al-Thowra?
A: The sports page of Al-Thowra is of great importance due to the fact that it is in the most important daily newspaper, and is read by a large number of young Yemenis. I remember the results of a survey that showed that 60% of Al-Thowra readers are anxious to read the sports page of the newspaper. I can also say that the sports page is very popular among our readers as the Yemen Times sports page is among its readers. Everyone knows that during the twenty years since its first issue, the sports page staff in Al-Thowra has always been keeping an eye on and reporting important sports events in Yemen. Since its first issue, thousands of sports columnists, reporters, and journalists have written in Al-Thowrah, some of whom are still writing and many of whom are now well known politicians. For all of them, the starting point was this sports page.
Q: What are your future ambitions in developing the sports page you are directing?
A: We are aiming to publish a weekly supplement of 4 pages that will include major local sports news and sports analysis. We also aim to give more space to sports reporters and columnists. In fact, we hope to have the chance of increasing the number of sports pages to two per issue.
Q: Have you made any changes to the sports page since you became director of the sports department?
A: You might have noticed that sports news has increased and now covers 3/4 of the sports page. The most important change to the page was the addition of a regular daily column titled ” Today’s Viewpoint.” This special column is dedicated to articles coming from different sports writers analyzing and commenting on current sports conditions. Its aim is to focus on the problems of sports in Yemen and how to deal with them, and also to focus on new improvements and praise them. Many writers from different parts of the country and from different political backgrounds are contributing to this column with their genuine articles.
Q: What are the major obstacles to achieving your goals?
A: There are many obstacles, and mostly they are the financial and administrative problems facing not only sports departments, but all media sectors as well. This is due to the nonexistence of educated and qualified employees and modern equipment. One of the most important obstacles the sports page – and Al-Thowra in general- and is currently facing is that we are still using ” antique” printing machines which may go off any time. Administrators at Al-Thowra’s print house are planning to upgrade the whole printing system as soon as the resources are available.
Q: Any parting comments?
A: Here, at the sports department of Al-Thowra, there are many ambitions and hopes for the future. But at the same time, there are many problems and obstacles facing us. However, with determination and hard work we can always overcome our obstacles.
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