Cameroon suspends Karate federation president over sexual harassment claims
Two karatekas engage in a contest. The Cameroon government has indefinitely suspended the president and five other top officials of the country’s Karate Federation over allegations of sexual harassment and misappropriation of allowances and sports equipment.
What you need to know:
- The Karate federation came under heavy criticism last month when a group of karate black belt holders accused its executives of sexually assaulting young karatekas for several years.
- The circle of karate black belt holders led by Francis Ampere Simo, in a 19-page document, cited several athletes who claimed the executives sexually assaulted them.
In Yaounde
The Cameroon government has indefinitely suspended the president and five other top officials of the country’s Karate Federation (FECAKARATE) over allegations of sexual harassment and misappropriation of allowances and sports equipment.
Prof Narcisse Mouelle Kombi, the country’s Minister of Sports and Physical Education ordered that the officials including federation president, Emmanuel Wakam present themselves before the Ethics Commission of the Cameroon National Olympic and Sports Committee and the justice before a “final administrative decision will subsequently be taken.”
Others include Jean Mbopda, Deputy National Technical Director, Marie Ngo Simb II, main coach of the national senior women karate team, Jean Francis Esse, main coach of the national junior karate team, Germain Ambani, assistant coach of the junior national karate team and Stephen Bodo Nsioma, karate coach for the centre region.
He called on sports-persons in the country to refrain from activities that soil the image of the national sports movement and the country at large, while reminding them of the need of upholding ethics.
“Sportspersons have the obligation to scrupulously respect ethics and sports values so that Cameroon can significantly contribute to the consolidation of the brand image of our beloved country both within and out of our borders,” the Minister said.
The Karate federation came under heavy criticism last month when a group of karate black belt holders accused its executives of sexually assaulting young karatekas for several years.
The circle of karate black belt holders led by Francis Ampere Simo, in a 19-page document, cited several athletes who claimed the executives sexually assaulted them.
They said those who did not yield to their demands were left out of national selections.
The accused have since denied any wrongdoing with the president of the federation describing it as a plot to ‘knock him out’ of office.
