Zambia has stamped its mark on the global stage as Cosmas Chongo Mulenga, Diamond Tv’s Sports reporter, is named one of the top three global finalists in the AIPS Sport Media Awards 2024, under the Young Reporters Broadcasting category.
This recognition places Mulenga among the world’s most elite sports journalists at only 20 years old, marking a historic first for Zambia since the awards’ inception in 2018.
This is the highest level any Zambian journalist has ever reached in the competition, following the achievement of fellow Zambian journalist Noah Silomba, who was ranked fifth in Africa in the Photography Sports Action category in 2021.
His shortlisted feature, “Ageless Warriors: Zambia’s YASA Grannies Defy Age Through Sport,” tells the heartwarming story of a fearless team of elderly women rewriting the rules of age and gender through football, while promoting unity and resilience in their communities.
The AIPS Sport Media Awards, organized by the International Sports Press Association (AIPS), are the most prestigious and highest international accolades in sports journalism, celebrating storytelling excellence across all media formats.
In this 7th edition, more than 2,000 entries were submitted from across the world and Mulenga now stands among just three global finalists, alongside Tracy Onchoke from Kenya and José Miguélez Vieco from Spain, making him one of only two Africans to make it this far.
The winners will be announced during an awards gala at Palais Jawhara in Rabat, Morocco, on May 13, 2025, the first time the event is being hosted on African soil.
Mulenga’s achievement is not only a personal triumph, but a moment of national pride showing the power of Zambian storytelling and proving that local voices can echo across the globe.
