Cameroon’s national women’s handball team, the Indomitable Lionesses, were set to participate in the Olympic qualifying tournament starting Thursday, April 11, in Debrecen, Hungary. However, they were unable to secure the necessary administrative documents for travel “despite all efforts made by the Hungarian Handball Federation, the International Handball Federation, the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the German Embassy in Yaoundé, Cameroon over the last weeks,” according to a press release from the International Handball Federation (IHF) published on Tuesday, April 9.

The Cameroon Handball Federation (Fecahand) confirmed on Wednesday, April 10, that despite their efforts, the team would not be participating in the tournament. Fecahand President Abba Oumaté explained that the German consulate, responsible for visa formalities, did not respond to their initial request for an appointment. “Fecahand initially tried to schedule an appointment with the German consulate that handles visas. But when they never got back, we reached out to the IHF and the president of the Confederation of African Handball (CAHB) to see if they could help. Thanks to their intervention, we finally secured an appointment for last Monday. However, incredibly, the consulate turned the delegation away without even looking at our paperwork. Their excuse? We supposedly lacked an insurance certificate, even though we had someone right outside ready to provide it,” he indicated in a release published on the federation’s Facebook page. 

Oumaté stated that subsequent government intervention secured another appointment, but the delay made it impossible for the team to reach the competition venue on time, leading to their withdrawal. He expressed regret over the situation, noting that the Ministry of Sports and Physical Education (Minsep) had taken steps to ensure the team’s participation, including validating their participation, approving the necessary budget, and providing a letter of recommendation to the Chancellery.

The Lionesses, reigning African vice-champions, were scheduled to begin the competition against Hungary. Subsequent matches against Japan and Sweden were also planned. However, the visa issues have denied the Cameroonian players the opportunity to compete in the upcoming Olympic Games, scheduled for July 26 to August 11 in Paris, France.

Per international regulations, the IHF tried to allocate Cameroon’s place to another African team. However, all the teams contacted by the IHF and the  CAHB were unable to confirm their participation due to insufficient preparation and travel time. As a result, the IHF has awarded the spot to the Great Britain women’s team, as part of its strategy for the development of the sport. Great Britain will replace Cameroon in all matches, with no changes to the fixture list. The top two nations in each Olympic qualifying tournament will qualify for the women’s Olympic tournament at the 2024 Games.

Patricia Ngo Ngouem