Fred Vubem
2 September 2008
The second regional championship in Special Olympics took place last Saturday in Bertoua with the team from the East Province winning the gold medal in football. They beat the team from the Centre province 4-3 in post match penalty shoot-outs. The competition took place in two disciplines including football with five players and athletics competitions in the 25m, 50m and 100m races.
In the 100m race for mentally deficient children between the ages of 16 and 29, Mala Onguene won gold, while Amougou Armand won silver and the bronze medal went to Pem. In the 50m race for children within the same age range, Fouda Fabrice came first, followed by Nga Mgarga and Djoumeguel in the second and third positions respectively. In the 50m race for children between the ages of 8 and 15, Ngalla Gerard was first, Hassan, second and Nfaha Kevine, third. Oyono Ndi who won a silver medal in the Shangai special Olympic Games, confirmed his supremacy in the 100m race for athletes above the age of 30, coming first in 13"35, followed by Awona Onana, 13"98 and Effa Theophile, 14"60.In the 25m race for athletes between the ages of 8 and 15, Hassan won gold, while Nfaha Kevine won silver and Bidias, bronze. The athletes under went medical examinations before the beginning of the competitions. According to Dr Olinga Medjo Ubald, the examination was to determine the fitness of the athletes and counsel them n what disciplines to participate.
Speaking at the occasion, the Director of Programmes of Special Olympics in Cameroon, Jean Marie Aleokol Mabieme, said the decision to take the games to Bertoua, falls within the ambit of vulgarising the games in Cameroon and establishing a bureau in all the ten provinces of Cameroon. He called on parents to bring their mentally retarded children to take part in the games as it helps improve on the intellectual capacity. Quizzed on why Cameroon wasn't taking part in the Para Olympic Games in Beijing, China, the director of programmes said it was due to the failure of Cameroon to pay her dues to the International Para Olympic Committee and failure to comply with an IPC ruling requiring all national federations to be transformed into national Para Olympic committees. He however stated that Special Olympics was an independent association which organises its own competitions. Representing the governor of the east province, the social and cultural affairs adviser, Epente Tazoh Adrean, lauded Special Olympics for the initiative and appreciated the fair play attitude of the athletes.
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