Sports in Cameroon is practiced widely by the population and advocated by the national

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

. Cameroonians take pride in victories at international competitions, making sport an important source of national unity.DeLancey and DeLancey 251. Traditional sports in

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

include

canoe racing A canoe is a lightweight, narrow watercraft, water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using paddles. In British English, the term ' ...

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...

tug of war Tug of war (also known as tug o' war, tug war, rope war, rope pulling, or tugging war) is a sport in which two teams compete by pulling on opposite ends of a rope, with the goal of bringing the rope a certain distance in one direction against ...

, and

wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...

. Wrestling has featured in the

initiation rites A rite of passage is a ceremony or ritual of the passage which occurs when an individual leaves one group to enter another. It involves a significant change of status in society. In cultural anthropology the term is the Anglicisation of ''rite ...

and other ceremonies of ethnic groups such as the

Bakweri The Bakweri (or Kwe) are a Bantu peoples, Bantu ethnic group of the Republic of Cameroon. They are closely related to Cameroon's coastal peoples (the The Sawa peoples of Cameroon, Sawa), particularly the Duala people, Duala and Isubu. Early surve ...

and the

Duala Duala or Douala can refer to: Relating to Cameroon * Duala people, an ethnic group in Cameroon * Duala language, part of the Bantu languages * Douala, the largest city in Cameroon, founded by the Duala people * Rudolf Duala Manga Bell (1873–1914), ...

.Mbaku 185. However, in modern times, sports such as

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...

cycling Cycling, also known as bicycling or biking, is the activity of riding a bicycle or other types of pedal-driven human-powered vehicles such as balance bikes, unicycles, tricycles, and quadricycles. Cycling is practised around the world fo ...

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, Olympic handball or indoor handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of thr ...

netball Netball is a ball sport played on a rectangular court by two teams of seven players. The primary objective is to shoot a ball through the defender's goal ring while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own. It is one of a ...

caber toss The caber toss () is a traditional Scottish athletic event in which competitors toss a large tapered pole called a "caber" (), normally practised at the Scottish Highland Games. The term "caber" derives from the Gaelic word ''cabar'', whi ...

, and

table tennis Table tennis (also known as ping-pong) is a racket sport derived from tennis but distinguished by its playing surface being atop a stationary table, rather than the Tennis court, court on which players stand. Either individually or in teams of ...

have become popular. The 40 km (24.8 mi)

Mount Cameroon Race of Hope The Mount Cameroon Race of Hope (in French, "La Course de l'Espoir") is an annual, televised footrace held at Mount Cameroon in the Southwest Region of Cameroon in January or February.Jones. The 20th edition of the Guinness Mount Cameroon race ...

draws several hundred runners each year.

Tourists Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

hike,

rock climb Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

, and

mountaineer Mountaineering, mountain climbing, or alpinism is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas that have become sports ...

, especially up

Mount Cameroon Mount Cameroon is an active volcano in the Southwest Region of Cameroon next to the city of Buea near the Gulf of Guinea. Mount Cameroon is also known as Cameroon Mountain or Fako (the name of the higher of its two peaks) or by its indigenous ...

Yaoundé Yaoundé (; , ) is the Capital city, capital city of Cameroon. It has a population of more than 2.8 million which makes it the second-largest city in the country after the port city Douala. It lies in the Centre Region (Cameroon), Centre Region o ...

Tiko Tiko, originally called ‘Keka’ by the Bakweris, is a town and important port in the southwest region of Cameroon. The settlement grew as a market town for Duala (or Douala) fishermen, Bakweri ( Kpwe people) farmers, and hunters from Molyko ...

and Kribi have

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

courses.West 93.

Rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

is also played, with about 15 clubs and 3,000 players nationally. The most popular sport by far is

football (soccer) Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

. Virtually every village has its own football pitch, and large numbers of spectators watch games between rival villages. The

Cameroon national football team The Cameroon national football team (French language, French: ''Équipe du Cameroun de football''), also known as the Indomitable Lions (French: ''les lions indomptables''), represents Cameroon in men's international Association football, footb ...

has gained world recognition since their strong showing in the

1990 FIFA World Cup The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial Association football, football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event for a second ...

. The team has won five

African Cup of Nations The Africa Cup of Nations, commonly abbreviated as AFCON and officially known as the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, is the main biennial international men's association football competition in Africa. It is s ...

titles. Footballer

Roger Milla Albert Roger Miller (born 20 May 1952), known as Roger Milla, is a Cameroonian former professional footballer who played as a forward. He was one of the first African players to be a major star on the international stage. He played in three Wo ...

is known around the world, and the 2003 death of

Marc-Vivien Foé Marc-Vivien Foé (1 May 1975 – 26 June 2003) was a Cameroonian professional footballer, who played as a defensive midfielder. Having initially played for Canon Yaoundé, Foé went on to play professionally in Ligue 1 and the Premier Leagu ...

during a game made international headlines. Many Cameroonian footballers have gone on to forge relatively successful careers in Europe, including Christian Bassogog who was named African best player of the 2017 African Nations Cup in Gabon 2017.

Rigobert Song Rigobert Song Bahanag (born 1 July 1976) is a Cameroonian former professional footballer who is the manager of the Central African Republic national team. Known for his defensive skills, Song usually played as a centre-back, but could also oper ...

and

African Footballer of the Year The African Footballer of the Year award, presented to the best African association football, footballer each year, has been conferred by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) since 1992. Samuel Eto'o and Yaya Touré have won the award the ...

winners

Lauren Lauren is mostly a feminine given name. The name's meaning may be "laurel tree", "sweet of honor", or "wisdom". It is derived from the French name Laurence, a feminine version of Laurent, which is in turn derived from the Roman surname Laurent ...

and

Samuel Eto'o Samuel Eto'o Fils (; born 10 March 1981) is a Cameroonian Association football, football administrator and former Football player, player who is the current president of the Cameroonian Football Federation. He is often regarded as one of the ...

. Children begin playing sports in primary and secondary school. At the university level, the National Federation for College and University Sports (FENASCO; ) organises school competitions. The agency also handles

provincial Provincial may refer to: Government & Administration * Provincial capitals, an administrative sub-national capital of a country * Provincial city (disambiguation) * Provincial minister (disambiguation) * Provincial Secretary, a position in Canad ...

competitions at the primary-school level and national games at the secondary-school level. Many sports have their own organising body, including the Cameroon Boxing Federation (FECABOXE), the

Cameroonian Football Federation The Cameroonian Football Federation () is the governing body of football (soccer), football in Cameroon. It is known as FECAFOOT. On 11 December 2021, the acting-president of FECAFOOT, former Cameroonian international striker Samuel Eto'o, was e ...

(FECAFOOT), and the

Cameroon Handball Federation The Cameroon Handball Federation () (CHF) is the administrative and controlling body for handball and beach handball in the Republic of Cameroon. Founded in 1970, CHF is a member of African Handball Confederation (CAHB) and the International Hand ...

(FECAHAND). The Cameroon Olympic Committee is another national sports agency, and Cameroon is one of the few tropical countries to have competed in the

Winter Olympics The Winter Olympic Games (), also known as the Winter Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were held i ...

Sports teams are organised along ethnic lines in Francophone Cameroon and under corporate or departmental sponsorship in Anglophone Cameroon. Teams develop fierce rivalries, and violence is not uncommon during matches. Training of athletes is handled by several sports institutes, including some owned by corporate sponsors, such as the

Brasseries du Cameroun Les Sociétés Anonymes des Brasseries du Cameroun (SABC or Groupe SABC) is a brewing company in Cameroon. Their offices and main factory are in Douala, with other breweries in Bafoussam, Douala, Garoua, and Yaoundé. Les Brasseries et Glaciere ...

's l'École de Football des Brasseries du Cameroun (EFBC) in

Douala Douala is the largest city in Cameroon and its economic capital. It is also the capital of Cameroon's Littoral Region (Cameroon), Littoral Region. It was home to Central Africa's largest port, now being replaced by Kribi port. It has the country ...

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...

Heavyweight Champion

Francis Ngannou Francis Zavier Ngannou (born 5 September 1986) is a Cameroonian and French professional mixed martial artist and professional boxer who currently competes in the Heavyweight division of the Professional Fighters League (PFL), where he is the in ...

hails from Cameroon.

Volleyball

The Volleyball Cup of Cameroon takes place on a regular basis. In June 2021, all the women's matches were played at the gymnasium of the National Advanced School of Public Works. The women's main teams included FAP, Nyong, Kelle, Bafia Volleyball Evolution and Club Efoulan. Sports Activities File:Match de Basket.jpg, Basketball match during University Games in Buea File:Marathon à Douala.jpg, Marathon in Douala File:Foot ludique +++.jpg, Football match during inter-primary/secondary schools competition File:Foot ludique+++++.jpg File:Filles lutteuses++++.jpg, Female Wrestling File:Tournoi de cyclisme13.jpg, Cycling Tour in Douala File:Activités du Ngondo 01.jpg, Canoe competition during Ngondo File:Drag drag game.jpg, Children engaging in traditional Tug of War game File:Jeux d'enfants4.jpg File:Tournoi de cyclisme24.jpg File:Tournoi de cyclisme43.jpg File:Match de volley ball1.jpg, People watching volleyball match File:Glissade.jpg, Glissade on water File:Glissade++.jpg, Glissade Competition File:Glissade +.jpg File:Patineur à Douala 17.jpg File:Patineur à Douala 52.jpg File:Sport de masse 02.jpg, Group sport File:Sueur d'espoir.jpg, Female athlete during Mt Cameroon race of hope at few meter to the finish line File:Joueuse de tennis1.jpg File:Sport fontball 1.jpg, Winners of a football match

Notes

References

* DeLancey, Mark W., and Mark Dike DeLancey (2000): ''Historical Dictionary of the Republic of Cameroon'' (3rd ed.). Lanham, Maryland: The Scarecrow Press. * Mbaku, John Mukum (2005). ''Culture and Customs of Cameroon''. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. * West, Ben (2004). ''Cameroon: The Bradt Travel Guide''. Guilford, Connecticut: The Globe Pequot Press Inc. {{Sport in Africa