ACTUALITE |
26.09.2003
All Africa Games : Departure Slated For Monday
A total of 161 athletes will represent the country in Abuja.
Some 161 athletes will represent Cameroon in the eight edition of the All Africa Games which will kick-off in Abuja-Nigeria on October 4, 2003. The entire delegation comprising officials and journalists is made up of 184 persons. They will leave the country on Monday on board on board a special flight from the Nsimalen International Airport. The revelation was made on Tuesday in Yaounde by the President of the follow up committee for the Abuja games, Matthias Pabe, during the last preparatory meeting ahead of the continental fiesta. Two more disciplines, Table Tennis and Lawn Tennis, have been added to the number of disciplines originally selected, bringing the total number to 14. Some federations have equally increased their number of athletes. The disciplines to take part in the games include: Athletics, Boxing, Football, Weightlifting, Handball, Karate, Wrestling, Volleyball, Taekwondo, Gymnastics, Handisport, Lawn tennis and Table tennis.
Cameroon´s contingent is the sixth largest after Nigeria, Senegal, Egypt and South Africa. In the Cameroon contingent, football has the lion´s share of 40 contestants, 20 for the men and 20 for the ladies. Handball will field 32 athletes, Volleyball 24, athletics 12 and Weightlifting 12 and Judo 12. In contrast, some disciplines like Karate, Boxing, Wrestling, Taekwondo, Gymnastics, Lawn tennis, Table tennis and Handisport will present three to six athletes each. The decision to reduce the number of disciplines from 17 to 14 has been a cause for disappointment by for federation presidents who, according to them, were preparing their athletes not only for the all Africa Games but also to get a chance to participate in the Olympic Games in Athens next year. Some federation president still intend to go to Abuja by all means. These disciplines out of the official delegation that intend to make the trip to Abuja are expected to have a letter of accreditation from the Ministry of Youth and Sports before leaving the country.
Cameroon has never topped the medals table in the All Africa Games. In the first games they won five medals. In the last games in Johannesburg, they won 46 medals, six of them were gold medals. The willingness and determination of the athletes is enough evidence that Cameroon will bag home more medals this time.
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