 SPORTS HEROES
They are found in almost all disciplines. Some of them have become models for the African continent and even for the world in their respective disciplines.
Timothy Lekunze (athletics)
Sarah Liengu Etongue (athletics)
Joseph Bessala (boxing)
Martin Ndongo Ebanga (boxing)
Jean Marie Emebe (boxing)
Mbappe Leppe Samuel (soccer)
Milla Roger (soccer)
Thomas Nkono (soccer)
Boniface Pommier (cycling)
Joseph Kono (cycling)
 ROGER MILLA
The over riding memory of the 1990 World Cup, apart from Pearce and Waddle missing penalties, is Roger Milla doing his little dance every time he scored. The lion from Cameroon is one of the most famous African soccer players of all times, and so he has to be crowned an Absolute FC Daddy.
Roger Miller, who changed his name to Milla in order to sound more African, was born in the Cameroonian capital Yaounde on May 20th 1952. His early career in his home country saw him win a League title and Cup World Investment News Ltdrs medals with Tonnere, which led to him being named African Soccer Player of the Year in 1976. This award raised his aura, and a move to French club Valenciennes shortly followed.
During his time in France he went on to play for Monaco, Bastia, St Etienne and Montpellier. In that time Milla managed to win two French Cups and the Second Division Championship. Nevertheless, its best moments were in Italia in 1990.
Let me set the remarkable context that led to Milla's appearance in the 1990 finals. Milla had retired from top French soccer league, and decided to see out his playing days at a much lower standard by turning out for Saint Pierre, located on the French Reunion Island. Relaxing and enjoying his semi-retirement, at the age of 38, he got a call from the coach and President who urged him to play. The rest is history.
Milla, who started all Cameroon's games on the bench, scored four goals and led the Lions to the quarter finals before bravely loosing to England. They had become the first ever-African team to reach the quarter finals stage, and Roger Milla had made sure that his name would remain World Cup history records!.
Most people tend to forget that he returned to playing in the 1994 World cup at the age of 42; his goal against Russia made him the oldest player to ever score in the tournament. Milla was twice voted African Soccer Player of the year, gained 81 caps and won two African Nations Cups for Cameroon; he is now an Ambassador for African soccer around the world.
“MILLA OF THE CENTURY”
Roger Milla, who led Cameroon to the quarterfinals of the 1990 World Cup, has been elected Africa's player of the century.
The selection, made by the Confederation Africaine de Football (CAF), and the London-based magazine African Soccer cited Milla's outstanding performance in the cup, as Cameroon became the first African country to reach this stage of the competition. After an memorable game, and a 4-2 victory over Cameroon, England stopped the “Indomitable Lions” to access the semi finals. Cameroon's overall performance in Italy did not only put the West African nation on the world soccer map, but it also helped to persuade FIFA to increase – from three to five - the number of African countries in the World Cup. "When Cameroon got to the quarter-finals, FIFA at last realised that Africa had made real progress," Milla added.
In 1982, the World Cup debut for both Cameroon and Milla, Cameroon recorded three consecutive draws, including one with the eventual champions Italy, before bowing out. The country missed the 1986 World Cup but returned to competition in 1990, provoking one of the biggest upsets in soccer history by defeating the defending champions, Argentina, in the opening game 1-0. Cameroon's World Cup performance in 1994 ended in abysmal fashion as they were ousted in the first round, the dreary performance attributed to financial straits the team was mired in at the time. Only the record set by Milla who, at 37, became the oldest man to score a goal in the cup, prevented complete humiliation. However, judging from its 1-1 performance against Ghana in the inaugural match of this year's African Nations Cup, and its 3-0 victoty over Ivory Coast, Cameroon is perceived as one of the favourites.
While Milla would be mostly remembered for his performances within the national team, on the club level, when playing for Leopards and Tonnerre Yaounde, Milla's squads won both the African Champions' Cup and the Cup World Investment News Ltdrs' Cup.
Milla, who might receive the Order of Merit on the sidelines of the African Nations Cup, said the two African performances in particular that stand out this century were Cameroon in the 1990 World Cup and Nigeria winning the gold medal in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. He says players like Njoleà of Cameroon, Laurent Pokov of Ivory Coast, Jomo Sono from South Africa were some of his idols.
Milla, who was awarded the CAF trophy at a ceremony in Accra last month, lives quietly in the South of France, works in a youth training camp with his former club Montpellier and makes occasional appearances around the world. Many people in Cameroon believe he never received his fair due from a country, which he showered with glory and fame with his soccer skills. His nomination as the best player the continent has ever produced should change things. "What we African players did was for the continent as a whole, not for ourselves or even for our countries," Milla said. "We wanted Africa to be respected around the world. We succeeded because everyone knows now the value not just of Cameroon but of Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco and Nigeria, among others."
LES LIONS INDOMPTABLES
Last year was certainly one of the most wonderful and unforgettable years for the “indomitable lions” after winning the African Cup final in Lagos over the Nigerian squad. This victory obtained after penalty shootings would certainly remain for a long time in the minds of the Nigerian players; for the Lions, it was the beginning of a non-stop victory circle. Before this victory, ten football clubs in Europe were requested to release it Cameroonian players. Roving Ambassador, Albert Roger Milla, accompanied by the director of sports in the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Maurice Tadjore Ndjock arrived in Europe to obtain the release of ten Indomitable lions.
The trip expected to stretch through a fortnight took the duo to Italy, England, Spain and France. The players included: Wome Nlend (Bologna), Mboma Patrick (Parma), Song Bahanag (Liverpool), Etame Mayer (Arsenal), Njitap Geremy (Real Madrid), Eto’o Fils (Mallorca), Mettomo (St. Etienne), Foe Marc Vivien (Lyon) Olembe Samuel (Nantes) and Job Joseph Desire (Lens).
The Olympic Indomitable Lions were in Germany for training. After Germany the squad travelled to Asia and England for a series of friendly games before they leaving to Brisbane — Australia on September 7. The lions as they were expected to do took on Kuwait in their first game of the Sydney Olympics. Football was among the four disciplines where Cameroon was best talented in Sydney. Others include athletics, boxing and Judo. While the limits of Cameroon’s flag bearers in the three other disciplines were predictable, expectations were high for a gold medal in soccer.
Besides Roger Milla, who was instrumental in Cameroon´s victory, Eto’o Fils, Etame Meyere, and the unforgettable Patrick Mboma were the key elements in the success of the national squad. The “Brazilians of Africa” have showed the way for the continent in the World Cup.
SOCCER IN CAMEROON
After their victory during the Sydney Olympics games, most of professionals do thinks it is one of the 15 best teams in the world, certainly the best ever seen as the Cameroonian National team.
The Germans were the first to introduce soccer in Cameroon around 1880, but the first official game was not played until 1926 - a game between a team formed by French colonials and one made of local residents. The first clubs, The Dragons, Indigenous Stars and L'Ecole Normale were formed in Yaounde. The Indigenous Stars, entirely made of local players dominated the early years, and did not loose until November 11, 1930, when Canon Yaounde finally beat them.
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A championship was first started, in the region around Yaounde before gradually developing in Douala and the rest of the country. The competition was not affiliated with the African Football Confederation until after independence in 1960. Oryx Douala dominated the early years of the championship, and won the African Champions Cup in 1965. That win set the pattern for a domination of Cameroonian clubs in continental competitions, especially with Canon Yaounde winning the African Champions Cup in 1971, 1978 and 1980; Union Douala won the same championship in 1979, and Tonnerre Yaounde (won the African World Investment News Ltdrs´Cup in 1975). The national team enjoyed similar success, winning the African Nations championship twice, in 1984 and 1988, and making the quarter-finals of the 1990 World Cup finals in Italy.
According to former Cameroon coach Claude LEROY, "The Cameroonians are even crazier about soccer than the Brazilians. It's all they live for, and I don't know a single Cameroonian who doesn't care about it”. Cameroon former team captain, François OMAM BIYICK stated, "Before a match I don't feel under pressure, but more a responsibility not to let my country down and to give my best."
Who is going to win the African Nations Cup in 2002… nobody knows, but Cameroonians will tell you that during the first qualifying rounds of the final competition in Mali, that is to say the three games already played by the Indomitable Lions, the final score has always been 3-0 for these lions. Where are they going to stop? May they go further during the next World cup, and become Africa´s first world champions.
Officially, there are less than 10 000 licensed players in Cameroon. In fact there is no road, no square in every cities of the country where the children and the people of Cameroon are not playing or even just looking at the GAME!!!!
Cameroonians have been very enthusiastic about all sports. President Biya as Head of State made the following statement: “In Cameroon, there are neither major sports, minor sports, nor exclusive sports. Since all of them require effort and perseverance, they contribute in their own way and in accordance with the tastes and abilities of those involved, to individual and collective achievement, the strengthening of national unity, the projection of the Cameroonian personality abroad and to our ideal of peace and brotherhood among people”.
SARAH LIENGU ETONGE: the queen of the mountain.
Sarah Etongue is a unique woman. She has been four times champion of the Mount Cameroon race(renamed Race of Hope) . 34 years old, and mother of 7, she left school vey early to dedicate to farming. It was through a friend, John Ndive that she started running along Mount Cameroon. Her efforts were not to be in vain, as for today, she has the highest winning track record of the Mount Cameroon race.
LEKUNZE LEKU TIMOTHY: the mountaineer
His name cannot be dissociated from the Mount Cameroon race. He has been three times World Investment News Ltdr of the race in 1987, and has for many years kept the record of the best performance for all categories with an average of 3 hours 46mn and 34 sec.
Lieutenant in the gendarmerie, Lekunze has kept his 1987 fitness, and trains his fellow countrymen. The victory of Reginald Essuka in 1998 was partly due to his guidance support
THE NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE OF CAMEROON
Since June 24 2000, the former National Olympic Committee of Cameroon is endowed with a new status structure, and has been renamed the National Olympic and Sports Committee. The new structures are capable of ensuring the promotion of sports and Olympic education in Cameroon for the benefit of the youths. The National Olympic and Sports Committee is headed by a Board of Administrators, and has a “Sports Court” acting as an arbitration committe. The role of this structure is therefore to support and coordinate the federations that are its privileged partners. It will also help to foster better relations with the latter and to create a more harmonious environment where the youth would find an appropriate framework and the opportunity to practice the sport they had chosen. This would enhance their personal growth and the well being of Cameroon as a whole. Colonel Hamad Kalkaba Malboum is the Head of the NOSC.
The Executive Committee is made up of:
1 Chairman
4 Vice Chairmen
1 Secretary General and 4 advisers.
SPORTS FEDERATIONS
Sports in Cameroon are practised in many federations. Among the major ones, we can find:
Cameroon Athletics Federation
Date of Creation: 27/08/1957
Headquarters: Yaounde, opposite the Higher Teachers' Training College (ENS)
Box 363 Yaounde
Tel/Fax (237) 22 47 44
1443 Licence holders
Cameroon Basket-ball Federation
Date of Creation: 1960
Headquarters: Yaounde - Box 2733 (Messa)
Tel: (237) 22 06 92 / 30 94 52 / 22 13 90
Number of teams: 45 with 714 Licence holders
Cameroon Boxing Federation
Cameroon Weightlifting Federation
Date of Creation: 1959
Tel: (237) 23 48 59 / 20 79 06
— Fax: (237) 20 99 06
Headquarters: Yaounde
Cameroon Football Federation
Date of Creation: 1959
Affiliation: FIFA 1962 — CAF 1963
Headquarters: Yaounde (Tsinga) - Box 1116
Tel: (237) 21 06 62 — Fax: (237) 21 74 03
Cameroon Handball Federation
Date of Creation: 1962
Headquarters: Yaounde (Face MULPOC)
Tel: (237) 23 21 18 — Fax (237) 23 72 81
Number of teams: 14 with 443 licence-holders
Cameroon Federation of Judo and related disciplines
Headquarters: Yaounde
Box 8239
Tel: (237) 23 17 20 — Fax (237) 23 11 41
Cameroon’s Federation of Karate and related disciplines
Date of Creation: 1994
Headquarters: Yaounde — Box 2421
Tel: (237) 20 21 15
Number of licence holders: 557
Cameroon Wrestling Federation
Date of Creation: 1974
Headquarters: Yaounde Box 13512
Tel: (237) 22 01 73 / 22 33 11
— Fax (237) 22 14 05
Number of licence-holders: 1500
Cameroon Table Tennis Federation
Date of Creation: 1974
Tel / Fax (237) 22 14 01
Headquarters: Yaounde
Cameroon Badminton Federation
Date of Creation: 1999
Headquarters: Yaounde — Box 14086
Tel / Fax (237) 30 55 59
Number of licence-holders: 50
Cameroon Base-ball and Soft ball Federation
Date of Creation: 1997
Headquarters: Yaounde — Box 1069
Tel: (237) 23 23 73 / 21 27 49 / 30 63 20
e-mail: s/c acnoa@camnet.cm
Number of licence-holders: 800
Affilated teams: 8 (base-ball)
Cameroon Cycling Federation
Date of Creation: 1959
Headquarters: Douala — Box 15222
Tel / Fax (237) 42 53 60
Cameroon Lawn-Tennis Federation
Date of Creation: 1961
Headquarters: Yaounde — Box 1121
Cameroon Gymnastics Federation
Date of Creation: 1904
Headquarters: Yaounde — Box 1005
Tel / Fax (237) 23 93 15
Number of licence-holders: 258
Cameroon Swimming Federation
Headquarters: Douala
Tel: (237) 42 12 41 — Fax (237) 42 79,African Sports distinctions B,Médiathèque
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