Journalists from over 100 nations at the AIPS Congress in Seoul and Pyeongchang put forward a declaration to raise a number of issues regarding journalists' rights, which have been put in danger in recent years.

AIPS President Gianni Merlo, who was re-elected for a fourth term in the post, claimed the IOC’s denying the 2024 Olympic candidate cities the opportunity to present to the media was an outdated policy.

He stated that the two cities in contention to host the Games, Los Angeles and Paris, had been prevented from attending the Congress to present to more than 200 journalists.

Merlo called for the IOC to open their doors to international media, adding he had written to IOC President Thomas Bach on the issue.

"In the spirit of Agenda 2020, the IOC should open its doors to all international media, and accept the fact that not all journalists and media across the world are able to travel to the IOC headquarters in Lausanne for the Coordination Commission or for Evaluation Commission visits in Los Angeles and Paris in this case," he said.

The declaration also focused on the increasing cost of official accommodation at major sporting events, with AIPS stating they had a constant dialogue with International Federations and the IOC on the issue.

The organisation, holding their 80^th Congress, claimed the media accommodation policy for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games was “unfair and restrictive”.

“Journalists intending to cover the 2018 Commonwealth Games are required to pay 100 per cent of their accommodation costs up front if booking nine rooms or fewer via the organising committee’s Gold Coast 2018 accommodation reservation system,” the declaration read.

“Gold Coast 2018's unacceptable accommodation policy discriminates against journalists and media organisations from less wealthy nations and favours large well-funded agencies and media conglomerates.

“Unless this policy is not amended forthwith AIPS will recommend that members intending to cover the Games should seek alternative accommodation options.

“AIPS also calls upon Gold Coast 2018 and the Commonwealth Games Federation to ensure that non-rights holder media covering the Games are provided with fair and adequate access to sources and are not restricted in their professional duties by unfair news access rules.”

AIPS also expressed concern over restrictions place on media regarding to the 2017 Confederations Cup and the 2018 World Cup.

They stated that media had been presented with a document to sign that does not allow them to report on matters not connected to the event itself, or outside of the official tournament venues and cities.

“AIPS calls on FIFA and its Russian organisers to withdraw the restrictive clauses in the media's terms and conditions for the 2017 Confederations Cup and the 2018 World Cup,” the AIPS declaration said.

“These are unnecessary and unacceptable restrictions on the freedom of the press and have no place in a modern society.”