ACTUALITE |
16.03.2006
Commonwealth Games : Why Sylvie Eloundou’s Rebuff
The world class sprinter says she could not stay out of school for more than one week.
If there is any athlete whom Cameroonians would miss at the ongoing 18th Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia, it is undoubtedly Sylvie Mballa Eloundou. The world class sprinter, selected to defend the national colours in the 100m and 4 X 100m, could not make it to Melbourne. According to the 29-year-old athlete, it required choosing between her studies and attending the Games. "My school does not tolerate absence for more than a week. That is why I could not attend the Games", she said.
Independent sources however hold that the athlete is angered by the fact that she is not receiving the attention she deserves from Cameroonian authorities. Sylvie Eloundou refuted such allegation, saying she is not at daggers drawn with officials of the Cameroon Ministry of Sports and Physical Education and those of the Cameroon Athletics Federation. "My relation with the Ministry and Federation is alright. But I no longer call them because my financial resources are limited", she explained.
Sylvie, who now features among the 15 best sprinters in the world, has been finalist in several athletics meetings, the most recent being the world championship in Moscow last week. It was the first time that a Cameroonian sprinter was arriving at a final of a world championship. Judging from these performances, her presence in Melbourne would certainly have made a difference. It would certainly have been another occasion for her to realise her greatest wish; win medals for her fatherland. She continues to count on the support of all Cameroonians to achieve this desire.
|
|
Hits: 1 | Source:cameroon-tribune.cm | |
|
|
|
|
| |