Sport in Cameroon

Sports in Cameroon is practiced widely by the population and advocated by the national government. Cameroonians take pride in victories at international competitions, making sport an important source of national unity.[1] Traditional sports in Cameroon include canoe racing, swimming, tug of war, and wrestling. Wrestling has featured in the initiation rites and other ceremonies of ethnic groups such as the Bakweri and the Duala.[2] However, in modern times, sports such as basketball, boxing, cycling, handball, netball, caber toss, and table tennis have become popular.[3] The 40 km (24.8 mi) Mount Cameroon Race of Hope draws several hundred runners each year.[4] Tourists hike, rock climb, and mountaineer, especially up Mount Cameroon.[5] Yaoundé, Tiko and Kribi have golf courses.[6] Rugby union is also played, with about 15 clubs and 3,000 players nationally.[7]

Cameroon faces Germany at Zentralstadion in Leipzig, 27 April 2003.
Traditional wrestling
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Youths playing basketball at the Molyko Omnisport stadium, Buea
Cycling tour , Cameroon
Women playing Volleyball in Cameroon
Athletes at Mount Cameroon
School children in a wrestling competition in Cameroon
Children in Tug of War game
Canoe Race on the Wouri River
Swimming competition

The most popular sport by far is football (soccer). Virtually every village has its own football pitch, and large numbers of spectators watch games between rival villages.[2] The Cameroon national football team has gained world recognition since their strong showing in the 1990 FIFA World Cup. The team has won five African Cup of Nations titles. Footballer Roger Milla is known around the world, and the 2003 death of Marc-Vivien Foé during a game made international headlines.[6] Many Cameroonian footballers have gone on to forge relatively successful careers in Europe, including Christian Bassogog who was named African best player of the 2017 African Nations Cup in Gabon 2017.[8]Rigobert Song and African Footballer of the Year winners Lauren and Samuel Eto'o.

Children begin playing sports in primary and secondary school. At the university level, the National Federation for College and University Sports (FENASCO; Fédération National des Sports Scholaire et Universitaire) organises school competitions. The agency also handles provincial competitions at the primary-school level and national games at the secondary-school level.[9] Many sports have their own organising body, including the Cameroon Boxing Federation (FECABOXE), the Cameroonian Football Federation (FECAFOOT), and the Cameroon Handball Federation (FECAHAND). The Cameroon Olympic Committee is another national sports agency,[1] and Cameroon is one of the few tropical countries to have competed in the Winter Olympics.

Football match in progress in a local community in Cameroon
Before a football match in a village in Cameroon

Sports teams are organised along ethnic lines in Francophone Cameroon and under corporate or departmental sponsorship in Anglophone Cameroon. Teams develop fierce rivalries, and violence is not uncommon during matches. Training of athletes is handled by several sports institutes, including some owned by corporate sponsors, such as the Brasseries du Cameroun's l'École de Football des Brasseries du Cameroun (EFBC) in Douala.[1]

UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou hails from Cameroon.

Volleyball

The Volleyball Cup of Cameroon takes place on a regular basis. In June 2021, all the women's matches were played at the gymnasium of the National Advanced School of Public Works. The women's main teams included FAP, Nyong, Kelle, Bafia Volleyball Evolution and Club Efoulan.[10]


Sports Activities

  • Basketball match during University Games in Buea
    Basketball match during University Games in Buea
  • Marathon in Douala
    Marathon in Douala
  • Football match during inter-primary/secondary schools competition
    Football match during inter-primary/secondary schools competition
  • Female Wrestling
    Female Wrestling
  • Cycling Tour in Douala
    Cycling Tour in Douala
  • Canoe competition during Ngondo
    Canoe competition during Ngondo
  • Children engaging in traditional Tug of War game
    Children engaging in traditional Tug of War game
  • People watching volleyball match
    People watching volleyball match
  • Glissade on water
    Glissade on water
  • Glissade Competition
    Glissade Competition
  • Group sport
    Group sport
  • Female athlete during Mt Cameroon race of hope at few meter to the finish line
    Female athlete during Mt Cameroon race of hope at few meter to the finish line
  • Winners of a football match
    Winners of a football match

Notes
  1. DeLancey and DeLancey 251.
  2. Mbaku 185.
  3. Mbaku 184.
  4. West 127.
  5. West 92.
  6. West 93.
  7. Archived 2011-10-01 at the Wayback Machine
  8. "Bassogog named Player Total Man of 2017 Africa Cup of Nations". Goal.com. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  9. DeLancey and DeLancey 250.
  10. "Volleyball Cup of Cameroon - Finalists Known". Cameroon Tribune. 7 June 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2021.

References
  • DeLancey, Mark W., and Mark Dike DeLancey (2000): Historical Dictionary of the Republic of Cameroon (3rd ed.). Lanham, Maryland: The Scarecrow Press.
  • Mbaku, John Mukum (2005). Culture and Customs of Cameroon. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press.
  • West, Ben (2004). Cameroon: The Bradt Travel Guide. Guilford, Connecticut: The Globe Pequot Press Inc.
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