A Whistle Stop along the Moscow-Beijing Route

When asked to point out the time love for sports and writing hit him, Nir Shuali couldn't come up with a definite answer meaning it has been in his system for too long to recall the exact time it happened.  For 10 years the Rishon leZiyon-born sports editor has been covering a wide scope of summer and winter Olympic sports, figure skating among them, for the Maariv, one of Israel's leading newspapers, including the newspaper's website www.nrg.co.il

"Ice dancing is my figure skating favourite"

-Nir, what was your first publication about?
-It was about sports. Before I started writing for the Maariv, I had worked for various media sources – newspapers, radio, and television.
-A journalist writing about sports has to be more of a journalist or  of an athlete?
-Whatever you write about, writing comes first. A journalist is paid for being a journalist, not an athlete.
-Figure skating is part of the Olympic sports you cover in your publications. Do you have your favourites in this sport?
-Ice dancing is my figure skating favourite, and of course, I loved to watch Galit Chait and Sergei Sakhnovsky skate, and now that Sasha and Roman Zaretsky have been representing Israel in ice dance internationally, I have been following up on their fast progress with keen interest.
-What competitions do you usually watch?
-I try to watch as much of Europeans and Worlds as possible enjoying every minute of it. I wish I had more time to watch all the broadcasts. I also like short-track for its speed and excitement and hope more people in Israel will get to know and appreciate it.

"Ice Age" finals in Moscow and 2008 Olympics in Beijing

- At the end of December 2007 you went to Moscow to cover the finals of the mega figure skating show "Ice Age" that has captured the attention of millions of viewers in more than 10 countries.
-It was nowhere short of being a mega hit, and I think the guest tour of the show here in Israel in February has attracted even more people to figure skating.
-The 2008 Summer Olympics are not far away, and you are going to be part of the Israel Olympic team.  What is your forecast?
-Yes, I am part of a quality team that is capable of winning up to 5 medals in the coming summer Olympics.  Most athletes are well-known in Israel and have had good training conditions. I hope our skaters will be having the same conditions soon.

To defend one's peace of mind at home

-How does family life fit into the busy and often erratic schedule of a sports editor?
-I am father of two – my son Steve is 6, and my daughter Thelet is 3.5 years old. My wife Ronit is a teacher, which gives both of us enough time to spend at home with the kids. As a journalist, I write from home, and if I need some peace of mind, there is always "a baton of terror" to wield on those who don't want to be disciplined (laughs).  It's true that pressure at work sometimes interferes with family life, but I still manage to spend as much time with my family as possible.