Though the discipline is traditionally practised, Cameroon is yet to win an Olympic medal in wrestling.

Jeux olympiques: sur la route de Londres

Le Point

Wrestling is a traditional sport practiced in the northern part and South west Region of the country since time immemorial. Though it became an Olympic sports discipline since the Athens Olympics of 1896, Cameroon only started participating in wrestling at the Olympic games in Moscow in 1980 through Kolaigue Victor who qualified by designation. In 1984, five Cameroonian wrestlers took part in the world event namely; Ntoh Barthelemy, Manga Jean, Kede Victor, Segning Pascal and Long Nicolas. Ntoh Barthelemy was to be in the 1988 edition accompanied by Yinga François, Youmbi Jean Baptiste and Daiga Jean.

Ali Annabelle is the first Cameroon to have clinched an Olympic qualification from the wrestling ring. She is in her second participation after having taken part in the Beijing Olympics of 2008. The African champion remains one of Cameroon’s hopefuls for a medal at the London Olympics and is the only athlete to have qualified in the wrestling discipline.

Generally, Cameroon first participated at the Olympic Games in 1964, and has sent athletes to compete in every Olympic Games since then. The nation withdrew from the 1976 Olympics after three days of competition, to join the broad African boycott in response to the participation of New Zealand, who still had sporting links with apartheid South Africa.

The object of wrestling is to put your opponent on his back or to pin down the opponent. A pin or fall is when you put your opponent on his or her back with any part of both shoulders or both shoulder blades of the opponent in contact with the mat for two seconds. The one, who pins the opponent, wins the match. If nobody gets pinned, the winner is the wrestler who scores the highest number of points during the match.