Dear SCIJ friends,
The 56th meeting’s website is now online. Please visit us at www.scijmaroc2010.be.
This blog will not be updated anymore, as all information will be published on the meeting’s website.
Thank you.
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Dear SCIJ friends,
The 2nd Newsletter has been published.
Please click here to view it online or here to download it as a PDF document.
The subscription form is also downloadable by clicking here.
Finally, please click here to open the quotas list for each country.
For more information, please contact Belgian Organizing Committee
(Betty and Claudine) 
bcl@rtbf.be
claudine.naassens@skynet.be
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Dear Scij-Friends,
Click here to download the 1st newsletter in PDF format.
If you have further questions don’t hesitate to contact the Belgium Organizing Commitee
(Betty and Claudine)
bcl@rtbf.be
claudine.naassens@skynet.be
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Dear Captains, dear SCIJ Members, 
The Newsletter that you receive today is the first of a series that leads us to the 23rd of January 2010, official opening date of the 56th SCIJ Meeting “Marrakech-Oukaïmeden”. After three years of effort, in the face of occasional doubts, we’re almost at our goal, thanks to the perseverance and unfailing commitment of the Belgium-Morocco Organisation Committee.
In less than four months now, SCIJ will arrive at the snowy mountains of the High Atlas to celebrate a big first on the African continent.
Of course, skiing in Morocco is at an early stage of development, and its possibilities cannot yet compare with big alpine or American ski resorts.
Nevertheless, the 56th General Assembly (Jasnà , March 2008), decided by an overwhelming majority to take up the challenge to explore new horizons, in particular in emergent countries.
A few days ago, in Zurich, FIS (Fédération Internationale de Ski) applauded our decision. FIS President Gian-Franco Kasper welcomed the new convention signed between Cetursa (the group that runs the resort of Sierra Nevada in Spain) and FRMSM (Fédération Royale Marocaine de Ski et de Montagne) as a beautiful example of collaboration and friendship between north and south.
It has always been the central aim of SCIJ to bring together media professionals with a common interest in skiing, to build friendships, to explore our common interests, and to question our host nations – across frontiers, without political boundaries, unhindered by differences of ideology or religion.
That will be the case again in Morocco, when a range of stories will arouse our interest, and each of us will have opportunities to meet and interview leading actors in the various spheres of politics, culture, and civil society.
This journey gives us a rare chance to take the pulse of a nation that is both ancient and modern, to discover its snow and mountains, to explore its cuisine and culture, and above all to meet its people. Our friends have prepared a rich program that your International Committee warmly recommends for your enjoyment!
With my best regards
Miguel Angel Aquiso
Président SCIJ
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The 56th SCIJ WINTER MEETING will be held from 23 until 30 january 2010 in Marrakech-Oukaïmeden (Morocco)
Arrival will be on saturday 23 in Marrakech. We will stay the week-end in order to discover this beautiful town, and go up in the Atlas mountains on monday morning. On the way, a visit is planned to AFOULKI association, and a traditional lunch wil be enjoyed before discovering the charming village of Oukaïmeden (2 600m).
That’s where we will have our competitions. Late afternoons will offer several interesting conferences about nowadays Morocco and evenings will bring the usual SCIJfestivities (nations evening, disco,and more discoveries…).
Hotel CLUB LOUKA offers a big cosy lobby, two restaurants, terrace with mountainview ,conference room, indoor swimming-pool, bar, hammam and fitness rooms.
On thursday evening, we go back to Marrakech where other surprises will be awaiting you. The final events (general assembly, gala diner and so on…) are also programmed there.Those interested will be able to get on one pre- and probably two post-tours .
Belgian organisers and moroccon hosts are eager to welcome you in that amazing country for an unforgettable 2010 Winter Meeting.
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Proposal of Oukaimeden 2010 selected by the International Committee
at Jasna.
Miguel Aquiso, president of the International Ski Club (in the middle); Mustapha Naitlho, president of the Royal Moroccan Ski Federation FRSSM (at the left) and Saïd Anis (Moroccan TV-journalist and preident of SCIJ Morocco)
A delegation of 9 belgian journalists; the president of the Moroccan SCIJ (journalist Saïd Anis, head of the sports department at the first Moroccan broadcasting channel SNRT) and two members of the Royal Moroccan Ski Federation (Mustapha Naithlo and Abdenbi Lerhenane) took part in the 54th international meeting of the Journalists Ski Club at th ski resort of Jasna in Slovakia. They were interviewed by the International Committee of the SCIJ on the project Oukaimeden 2010.
The belgian-moroccan team managed to convince the members of the Committee, presided by Miguel Aquiso (journalist at the french-speaking Swiss public broadcasting station). After a long discussion about the pros and cons of the project, it was decided that the belgian and morccan partners would present the project and submit to the vote of the General Assembly (of the 34 member countries present) at the 4 th of March 2008. After the viewing of the movie and pictures made in Morocco and at the ski resort of Oukaïmeden, even te most reluctant voted infavour of the Moroccan candidatureThe vote for Morocco (Oukaïmeden) was unanimously. Other potential candidates, some of them very famous skiing countries, withdrew their proposal in the light of the strenght of the Morocco project.
The belgian-moroccan team is now collaborating closely to obtain all the necessary support to make the project Oukaïmeden 2010 , which will launch the official « Moroccan Year of Tourism 2010 » a big success.
Published by Betty Cleeren on March 06th 2008
Translated by Heidi Verdonck
Project introduction and some images
It’s been more than 50 years already that journalists from all over the world meet each winter in a mountain resort in Europe, the Americas and Asia. After half a century, the International Journalists Ski Club could set foot for the first time in the African mountains in 2010.
More than 40 different nations are member of the International Journalists Ski Club (SCIJ) for the time being. We have skied together in the Appallachian mountains, the Carpathians, in the Big North, on the shores of the Saint-Laurent river, in Japan and in Scotland, not to mention all the sides of the Alps.
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the club, in 2004, we met in Alpe d’Huez (France).
In 2005 it was the ski resort of Jeseniky in the Czech Republic that welcomed us, and in 2006 Bansko and Borovets (Bulgaria). In 2007, we skied in Font Romeu in the Pyrenees. This meeting was a Spanish-French co-organisation. Last year, we (re-)discovered the ski resort of Jasna (Slovakia). If all goes well, we will meet in 2010 in the ski resort of Oukaïmeden in Morocco.
The idea
It was in the Belgian SCIJ that the idea first came up to welcome Europe’s southern neighbours into the big SCIJ-family. Due to the strong historical ties between Belgium and Morocco, it was an obvious decision for both countries to jointly apply for the organisation of the SCIJ’s 2010 meeting in the Atlas mountains in Morocco.
Morocco offers a wealth of topics for journalists : economic development ; alternative tourism ; exode rural ; openess to the world ; contrast and coexistence of cultures & religions, tradition & modernity, rural & urban environment ; evolution of the media and of the position of women in society,…
The SCIJ
The objective of the SCIJ-meetings is to bring together journalists of different backgrounds, linguistically…but also culturally. Skiing together is an excellent way to break the ice between journalist from different countries, and sometimes, different continents.
It also offers professional journalist the opportunity to discover several countries from a different angle, thanks to the numerous side activities and events through which their fellow journalists of the hosting country help them discover their culture, traditions and heritage.
Practising ski is the pretext and the condition to participate – it is after all a Ski Club.
