Blind sports in Cameroon

Historically, a number of blind sports have been practiced in Cameroon including Cameroon, goalball, blind football, athletics, African wrestling, and judo.[1][2][3][4]

Torball has been played in Cameroon for a number of years, with several other African countries in the region also playing it including Tunisia, Algeria, and Nigeria.[1][5][6] Goalball was a late arrival to the blind sports community in Cameroon. The sport was introduced in the 2000s. Prior to that, the major ball sport for blind people in Cameroon was torball.[7][8] In November 2003, a three-day blind football referee development workshop took place in Cameroon.[2]

Goalball was contested at the 2006 Champion of Cameroon in Handicap Sports that took place at the Higher Institute of Youth and Sports. PROMHANDICAM won the event, defeating CJARC 17 - 9 in the final.[8]

Cameroon was scheduled to participate in the men's event at the 2007 IBSA World Torball Championships but withdrew at the last minute.[9] The 2007 African Francophone Games for the Handicapped (JAPHAF)[translations 1] took place in Nouakchott, Mauritania. At those Games, Cameroon won a single medal. At the 2009 edition of the African Francophone Games for the Handicapped in Niamey, Niger, Cameroon returned home with 23 medals, 10 gold, 7 silver and 6 bronze, finishing third on the medal table. Eleven countries took part in the event, with Cameroon sending 26 sportspeople. This included 8 sportspeople with vision impairments.[10][11] Vision impaired runner Patrick Awa Bakounga left the Games with a trio of gold medals, finishing first in the 100 meters, 200 meters and 400 meters.[12]

Much of the infrastructure in Cameroon is not designed with accessibility for people with disabilities in mind. Laws had been on the books for a number of years requiring facilities be accessible to people with physical, hearing and vision related disabilities. The laws though had rarely been enforced in many cases, often as a result of ignorance related to the challenges faced by people with disabilities. A new law was passed in 2010 to try to insure greater and better compliance in terms of making buildings accessible. When the 2010 law on accommodation came into force, the 1983 law related to the protection of persons with disabilities was also repealed.[13]

In 2011, national team para-sportspeople for athletics trained on a dirt covered esplandande at Stade Omnisport de Yaoundé.[3] Following the 2011-2012 domestic season, Camtel Yaoundé organized a men's and women's national goalball club championship. The men's final saw Rouffignac go up against Club for the Blind Youth of Cameroon (CJARC).[translations 2] The match was close with CJARC coming out ahead by a score of 4 - 3. In the women's final, Fadi beat BGSA 13 - 3.[14] The domestic season again took place for 2013–2014. Following the conclusion of the season, Camtel Yaoundé hosted the men's national club championship, with four teams taking part. These teams were Evangelical College Goalball Club of Douala),[translations 3] Cispam Goalball Club of Bafoussam,[translations 4] Mount Cameroon Buea Goalball[translations 5] and PROMHANDICAM Yaounde.[15]

In 2014, a national technical center for blind football opened in Cameroon. This was done as part of efforts by the IBSA to bring the football resources to Africa to allow for African-based and supported growth of the sport, instead of Europeans going to Africa to develop the sport without building the local infrastructure.[16] In 2014, Cameroonian para-sportspeople participated in the Queen's Baton Relay ahead of the 2014 Commonwealth Games. One of the reasons they participated in the Relay was to try to bring attention to para-sports in Cameroon, and to assist in changing the perception of para-athletics in their country. The goal was to try to get people to think of para-athletics as a normal and acceptable sport.[17]

In September 2016 at the end of the 2015-2016 disability sports season, a national blind football cup was held. The final involved Derouffignac and PROMHANDICAM Yaounde[translations 6] with Promhandicam emerging victorious after the game ended 1 - 1 in regulation time. The game went to penalty kicks, with Promhandicam scoring two to Derouffignac's zero. Following the match, Charles Atangana from Derouffignac and André Ndo of Promhandicam were honored for being the best player and leading scorer respectively.[18]

Cameroonian Sports Federation for the Visually Impaired (FECASDEV)[translations 7] is the national sports federation for people with vision impairments. The organization is one of four member federations of the Cameroonian Paralympic Committee and is a member of the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA).[19][20][21]

The organization's history dates back to 1999, when they were founded as the Sportive Association of Blind and Partially Sighted of Cameroon.[22] During 2010 and 2011, their status changed as they were formally recognized by law, with their status inside Cameroon's sporting infrastructure changing.[21][22][23][24][25] They have been involved with organizing goalball and blind football competitions in Cameroon.[14][26]

Blind sport in Cameroon is supported by local clubs and schools, and via activities at conferences and other events.[4][27][28] Club for the Blind Youth of Cameroon (CJARC) is an association supporting blind youth.[4] The club has been playing both goalball and torball for over 20 years.[29][30] In 2006, they supported a number of sporting activities for the blind at their club including athletics, African wrestling, judo and goalball.[4] The club was still active supporting women's goalball in 2014, 2015 and 2016.[29][31][32]

Another association supporting disability sports is PROMHANDICAM Yaounde. In 2004, they were supporting wheelchair basketball and goalball. That year, the club was visited by England's Prince Edward.[27]

Cameroon has been represented internationally in several blind sports including athletics, goalball and football.[33][34][35][36][37][38]