The 2005 sports season was unique in several aspects.
The 2005 sports season in Cameroon ended last Thursday with the final of the Cup of Cameroon in football. During the occasion presided at by the Head of State, Paul Biya, some 16 trophies were handed to winners of the Cup of Cameroon in 11 disciplines which functioned well during the just ended season. The selection of the 11 disciplines out of the 41 that are existing was not hazardously done.
It targeted sports federations which are dormant throughout the year. In effect, normal operations with an efficient administration, permanent and regular organisation of competitions throughout the season, respect of such Olympic values as fair play, tolerance, mutual understanding and solidarity, were among the criteria used in selecting disciplines whose sportsperson would receive their trophies from the hands of the Head of State.
As has been the case in the pass, not all federations that were duly registered were active this season. Some federations did not organise even one event. Such federations, created simply to
benefit from State subventions, were caught in their own trap. "The absence of activities is an indication that the federations have failed to respect their own missions and therefore have no reason to exist", Col Kalkaba Malboum, president of Cameroon’s national Olympic committee said.
This notwithstanding, giant strides were recorded in some areas. Cameroon was at the world cup in three disciplines: draughts, handball and table tennis. The female national volleyball team also qualified for the world Cup to take place next year. There were innovations. The wrestling federation, for example, decided to take the indoor sports to the streets and make it popular The Cameroon Football and Volleyball Federations excelled in communication, while the time conscious attitude of their table tennis counterparts was praiseworthy.
It was also a season full of strange happenings on and off the pitch. In football, several matches of the Division I championship ended prematurely due to violence. Several free-for-all fights erupted during wrestling, weightlifting and body building competitions.
