Cameroon handball players will not participate in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Paris due to lack of visas

Cameroon's handball players have been excluded from the Olympic qualifying tournament currently taking place in Hungary due to visa problems.

Cameroon's Ministry of Sports has taken all the necessary steps to ensure the Cameroon women's handball team's participation in the Olympic qualifying tournament in Debrecen, Hungary (and at the same time in Spain and Germany). However, despite our best efforts, we were unable to obtain visas.

According to Abba OumateThe German consulate allegedly sabotaged the visa issuance process for the Cameroonian delegation. As a result, Cameroon's national women's handball team had to withdraw from the qualifying tournament for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games (TQO). The United Kingdom replaced Cameroon in the TQO.

FECAHAND blames German consulate

In a press release, the president of FECAHAND claims that the German consulate is at the root of the problem, having "deliberately delayed and complicated the process of obtaining visas for the Cameroonian delegation". According to him, this act of sabotage was perpetrated in favor of the British team.

• It should be noted that several European countries have tightened their visa procedures following recent terrorist alerts. This could have contributed to the difficulties encountered by FECAHAND in obtaining such visas.
• Some well-informed sources within the Ministry of Sport blame the FECAHAND management for the visa problems. They claim that the Ministry only provided financial support to the federation, and that the latter was in charge of the administrative procedures required to obtain visas for athletes and technical staff.

With this disqualification, Cameroon's national women's handball team sees its Olympic dreams dashed. The efforts made by the players and coaches have been in vain, and we can only hope that the situation can be resolved in the near future so that the team can take part in future international competitions.

Another complicated situation for the Indomitable Lionesses

It's all the more regrettable that none of the team's players received a bonus for their performance at the Women's Handball World Cup in 2023. According to some sources, the Cameroon government has not made the necessary funds available to finance the tournament and pay for travel, accommodation and other competition-related expenses. This calls into question the Ministry of Sports' commitment to national athletes and women's sports in general.

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