Redakteure Paralympics Zeitung 2016: With a love of sport and writing

With a love of sport, reading and writing, Milan Marcus has dreamed of being a sports reporter for as long as he can remember, and can’t wait to step up to the challenge of reporting at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio.

“I think it is important to raise awareness for the Paralympic movement because there are people who think it’s a secondary event to the ‘real’ Olympics,” says Milan, one of the ten young German journalists selected to report for the Paralympics Zeitung next September.

Milan, who grew up with a family friend with Down’s syndrome, considers himself lucky to have been raised with such an awareness and understanding of disability.

“I am looking forward to getting to know more about the paralympic movement and getting some journalistic experience,” he says. “I entered because I enjoy writing a lot. I have always wanted to be a sports reporter since I was little and I thought that it would be a really good opportunity for me.”

Milan hopes to study International Relations or Politics, Philosophy and Economics after completing the International Baccalaureate at the Nelson Mandela School in Berlin in May 2016. Born and raised in the city, he has visited over 20 countries in his 18 years and is looking at Universities in England and Scotland for next year.

He has attended three Model United Nations conferences, including one in Saudi Arabia at which he was named Best Delegate. He has also visited Brazil already, during the 2014 Football World Cup, where his ability to speak Portuguese came in handy.

“I am looking forward to seeing if the atmosphere will be the same or different,” says Milan. He had hoped to cover football, but with the German team failing to qualify he has set his sights on Wheelchair Rugby and Wheelchair Basketball instead. Whichever sports he ends up covering, he can’t wait to see what the Games will bring.

Keri Trigg