Fred Vubem
29 October 2009
They beat Pere Monti of Ambam 1-0 in the football final.
The team from the Centre region has once more confirmed her supremacy in the Special Olympics regional games by beating the Pere Monti Social Centre of Ambam, 1-0 in the football final. This was during the 5th edition of the Special Olympics regional games that took place at the Nkovos municipal stadium in Ebolowa last Saturday, October 24, 2009. The Yaounde team was victorious in football, the most prestigious trophy of the competition during the games in Yaounde, Bertoua, Garoua and Douala. Competition in the athletic discipline included the 25 and 50 metres races in which only athletes from the Pere Monti social centre took part. Their participation warmed the hearts of many as they were invited as special guest to the national games to take place n Yaounde by the end of November.
Presiding at the opening ceremony, the board chairman of Special Olympics Cameroon, Christophe Ampoam, said the objective of Special Olympics is to promote the mental and physical development of handicapped children through the practise of sports saying the essential was not winning but to participate.
The major innovation in this edition of the games was the inclusion of dental examination in the traditional medical tests that are usually conducted before the start of competition. Tooth pastes and other gadgets were offered to the mentally handicapped children under the "Special Smiles" programme. The dental examinations were carried out by Dr Zing Salomon, a renowned dentist and surgeon. The competition brought together over 65 athletes from a special missionary centre in Ambam, Yaounde, Ebolowa and other nearby areas. The athletes were classified by Cameroonian commissioners who were trained in Ebolowa in June 2009.
According to the Coordinator of Special Olympics Cameroon, Jean Marie Aleokol Mabieme, the tour of the nation has been so far successful as more parents are now willing to send their mentally handicapped children to take part in the games. He however regretted that some parents were still reticent to allow their children participate in the games. He expressed gratitude to the First Lady, Chantal Biya for taking part in a meeting on Autism on the sidelines of the UN general assembly meeting recently. Her action, he said is going to draw attention to the plight of mentally retarded children. He however regretted the fact that correspondences to the Chantal Biya Foundation for cooperation have never received any response. He appealed for assistance from the Ministries of Sports and Physical Education, Youth Affairs, Public Health and the Ministry of Social Affairs.
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