The African Athletics Championships which are currently being held in Douala, Cameroon. Since the start of the competitions, events have been punctuated by several controversies with long delays and repeated technical problems. Several athletes even threw in the towel, not wanting to get injured one month before the Olympic Games. The images made the rounds on social networks and this did not please the Cameroonian public.
2 mins
With our correspondent in Yaoundé, Richard Onanena
Infrastructures revamped a few hours before the start of the competition, athletes who withdraw, the absence of adequate equipment, on social networks, Cameroonians are crying scandal and fiasco. A sad picture according to residents of Yaoundé. “Really, it’s not good for the image of the continent that we are, it’s very sad.”
“I think it wasn’t well prepared, if that had been the case, we wouldn’t be here.”
Respondents also highlight a lack of communication around the continent’s largest athletes’ meeting. Many even discovered the organization of this competition by reading the numerous derogatory comments on social networks.
“Not prepared for this”
“It’s through social media that I found out about something like this. There should be a lot of mobilization, a lot of communication. For me, it’s a failed organization.”
Cameroon is used to continental meetings, but having such failures raises questions, according to Karim, a taxi driver and athletics enthusiast.“For example, for the CAN here in Cameroon we had the Cocan which was set up well before. But for this athletics championship, there was no follow-up. Today, we are really wondering who from the ministry or perhaps the Douala town hall could be at fault. But the fact is that Cameroon as a whole has not really prepared for this.”
Overwhelmed on social networks, the Minister of Sports Narcisse Mouelle Kombi issued a press release in which he recalled that “ the State has taken necessary measures and released significant financial resources ”, before denouncing “ a disinformation campaign led by some malicious activists “.
Read alsoAthletics: in Douala, the African Athletics Championships already under fire from critics