Guest Post: Cameroonian Athletes Still At Large

Guest Post: Gana from Cameroon

The search for the seven Cameroonian athletes that disappeared from the Olympic Village continues into the New Year.

The entire boxing team, a swimmer and a female football player have all been missing since the last day of July 2012. They should have been travelling back with the team on the twelfth of August.

A goalkeeper from the female football team had disappeared after the final pre-games warm up match after she was cut from the final team selection of 18. Paul Ekane Edingue, the first official Olympic disappearance, was scheduled to compete in the 50m freestyle, but did not fulfil his event. The five boxers were all eliminated from their respective competitions in the first round, and left a few days afterwards.

The boxing team has since claimed asylum in the UK, claiming that they were promised bonuses that were subsequently halved and that living in Cameroon was a hindrance to their careers. Boxer Thomas Essomba said that there was no support for athletes in Cameroon, adding: ‘We are not staying here because we don’t like our country, but [because we] want to practise the sports we love. We want to become professional. We cannot return to Cameroon... if we return, we will not practise any more.’  There is no news on the other two athletes.

The action of deserting the Olympic village and staying on in England was not illegal in itself, as the athletes had visas to remain in the UK until late November. However, as the athletes are still missing in the New Year, there is no doubt that the intention of the other two athletes is also to seek asylum.

Whilst sixty athletes competed in the games, not a single one participated in the closing ceremony.

Cameroonian Athletes Still At Large

Random Gana Thoughts: Although Cameroon was not the only nation that experienced such problems after the Olympics in London, ours were the most high profile. Cameroon’s conduct at the Olympics was quite frankly embarrassing; we were also lacking the funding and organisation to keep our enclose open at Africaland in Hyde Park for the general public to enjoy. Coupled with the fact that we did not win a single medal for the first time since 1966, this past summer was not the best advert for the country!