The African Games closed in Accra, Ghana on Saturday March 23, 2024. Several countries took part in these games, including Cameroon. The 65 representatives of the country for eight (8) disciplines at these games did not make a good impression. They won 03 gold medals with a field of 65 athletes. Far behind Egypt which has 99 gold medals.
Accra, the Ghanaian capital, welcomed around 5,000 athletes from various African countries and spread across 29 sporting disciplines from March 8 to 24, 2024. Among these countries is Cameroon represented by 65 athletes for 8 sporting disciplines including weightlifting. , judo, athletics, Karate, wrestling, swimming, handball, volleyball. The Indomitable Lions U23 football team who were expected to take part in these games were disqualified at the last minute for lack of financial means.
Furthermore, during the competition the ambassadors of Cameroon faced formidable opponents accustomed to great challenges like Egypt, head of the list in the general ranking with 187 medals including 99 gold, followed by Nigeria with 120 and South Africa 106 medals. Cameroon, for its part, did not make a good impression. Its athletes occupied 17th place in the general ranking with 30 medals including 03 gold, 13 silver and 14 bronze, far behind Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa. But we must be grateful for the efforts, courage and self-sacrifice of certain Cameroonian athletes like Emmanuel Eseme, winner in the 100m who gave Cameroon the gold medal. The former environmental public works student beat his opponents with a time of 10 seconds 14”, thus becoming the fastest man in Africa. It was not his first experience he honored Cameroon with a gold medal at the 2023 African Games in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He will represent Cameroon at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. We must also recognize the efforts in weightlifting which offered the second medal and judo. However, Nigeria second in the ranking has 47 gold medals, 33 silver, 41 bronze, for a total of 121 medals. Host country Ghana ranks sixth with 68 medals in total including 19 gold, 29 silver and 20 bronze.
Egypt leads the general ranking
Egypt was in the firmament through these African games which have just ended. The pharaohs of Egypt gleaned 189 medals in total, becoming the most successful athletes of these games. They showed dominance with gold, winning all competitions with 99 gold medals. Nigeria comes second with 47 gold medals and South Africa 32. With this performance, Egypt will field several athletes in various sports disciplines at the Paris 2024 Olympic games. It is the host country of the next planned African games in 2027.
J.Patrick DJON
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