The 2016 edition of the international cycling race, Grand Prix Chantal Biya will kick off tomorrow with the first lap expected to be run between Yaounde and Bafia. The last preparatory meeting towards the organization of the race took place on October 6^th and was presided by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Sports and Physical Education representing the minister.

It came out from that meeting that all was now set towards the effective take off of the race. Ten teams from Europe and Africa will be taking part in the race. The bulk of the foreign delegation will arrive in the country today including the referee of the race, Belgian born Jean Pierre Coppenole. The race will comprise four laps; Yaounde-Bafia, Yaounde Ebolowa, Zoetele –Meyomessala and Sangmelima-Yaounde. The kick-off of the race will be at the place de l’Independence, whereas the arrival will be at the 20^th May Boulevard.

Cameroon Tribune

The third and final round of qualification for the next World Cup sees 20 teams divided into five groups of four. Group winners go through to Russia. Everyone else stays home. It is an unforgiving set-up, and Cameroon has started by paying a heavy price for having sunk to 59th in the FIFA World Rankings used to seed qualified teams for the draw.

The Indomitable Lions have recorded a one all draw with Algeria- the best team in Africa says Cameroon head coach Hugo Broos. Nigeria collected the three points from Zambia with goals from Nigeria’s Manchester City striker Kelechi Iheanacho … Arsenal forward Alex Iwobi. The qualifying stage will run until November 2017.

By Chi Prudence Asong

The Indomitable Lions of Cameroon have left France en route to Algeria after spending almost a week in the town of Mallemort preparing for a crucial encounter for this Sunday the 9^th of October, 2016. Head coach, Hugo Broos will have to pick his dream team after he watched them played a 1-1 all draw on October the 5th at the Commanderie training ground against Olympique of Marseille.

The Indomitable Lions made a very emotional farewell ceremony yesterday Thursday in Mallemort with praises showered on the population of the small town via their mayor, Helen Gente. Mayor Gente observed in a very soul-searching speech that France won the 1998 FIFA World Cup due to the preparations they had in the small town of Mallemort. The mayor noted that Cameroon should do the same by winning next Sunday’s match against Algeria.

The town has reportedly signed an agreement with the Cameroon Football Federation and Tombi a Roko Sidiki, the president of FECAFOOT was quoted as saying that it was the beginning of a collaboration that will grow in the years to come. For his part, the Minister of Sports and Physical Education, Bidoung Mpkatt, gave an open invitation to the mayor to visit Cameroon and live with the peculiarities of the Cameroonian hospitality.

By Chi Prudence Asong with files from CIN

Medical sources at the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris have revealed that everything went well with our Rigo. The former Cameroon international was evacuated on Tuesday to France and we understand the three aneurysms, including haemorrhagic were successfully repaired and Captain Rigobert Song still remains under observation.

Hospitalized in Yaoundé, after suffering from a stroke, Rigobert Song left his homeland for the French capital Paris.  Public Health Minister, Andre Mama Fouda, attempted to politicize Song’s health situation by claiming that President Biya was directly responsible for all that happened at the Emergency Centre in Yaounde.

Before taking the air ambulance, “Rigo” was able to breathe without using oxygen assistance and cerebral bleeding was controlled. Cameroon does not have adequate technical facilities for this type of care so only those close to the corrupt regime in Yaounde are accorded a kind of government support to facilitate treatment in a European country.

By Chi Prudence Asong

The Indomitable Lions of Cameroon were on Wednesday, October 5, 2016 at the Commanderie, the training camp of Olympique Marseille held to a draw by the French Ligue 1 club. Cameroon Info.net reported that the match fell short of national and international standard. Lassana Diarra was the man of the match who signed his return after two months of absence.

The Cameroonians have moved to a camp in Mallemort, a town about sixty kilometers from Marseille and the Indomitable Lions are expected to leave for Algeria on Friday, October 7, 2016 to clash with the Desert Warriors on Sunday, October 9- the first match of the final round of qualifying for the world Cup Russia 2018.

By Chi Prudence Asong with files from CIN

The former captain of the Indomitable Lions will be evacuated in the coming hours to a hospital in France. Rigo, as he is often referred to was a victim of a cerebral vascular accident last Saturday at his home and was admitted at the Yaounde Emergency Centre.

We now understand from government media sources that a multidisciplinary team and emergency resuscitators headed by Dr. Louis Georges Bitan, the Director of the Yaounde Emergency Centre, were mobilized around the patient.

Rigobert Song was transferred to the intensive care unit and resuscitation was successful. State owned radio and television recently announced that artificial respiration has been disconnected and our Rigo breathed again spontaneously.

Song suffered from a cerebral subarachnoid haemorrhage by aneurysm rupture, a form of stroke that often kills 50% of patients and 20% come away with significant neurological damage. Rigobert Song will be evacuated in the coming hours.

By Sama Ernest with files from CIN

Indomitable Lionesses were beaten 3-2 yesterday by the Canucks of Canada. The Canadians opened the score sheet through Huitema in the 3rd minute. Cameroon equalized in the 17th minute with a free kick from Djoubi.

The Lionesses followed with a second goal at the 42^nd minute of the encounter through Dabda. The Canadians were awarded a penalty in the 75th minute rightly taken by Stratigakis.

Taylor scored the winning goal in the 83rd minute. Final score, 3-2 in favour of Canada.

By Chi Prudence Asong