University Games scheduled next year

Reforms are underway to change the format of the games from next year.
The national federation of university sports, FENASU in collaboration with the Ministry of Sports and Physical Education as well as the Ministry of Higher Education, is in the process of restructuring the University Games. As from next year, the Games will be organised in two phases including qualifiers and a final phase. The qualifiers will be organised regionally and only the best athletes in each sports discipline will qualify for the final round of the competition which will take place in Dschang next year.

The move is to curb the size of delegations taking part in the Games and consequently raise the standards of the competition during the final round. This new format which is already practised by the federations of school sports, FENASCO ‘A’ and ‘B’, will also allow room for other institutions of higher learning who wish to take part in the Games to be able to do so.

However, the reforms do not go far enough to address other issues pertaining to the follow-up of athletes and the provision of definite sports infrastructures for university institutions. Athletes are catered for only on the occasion of the University Games and after the Games they are left on their own without any incentive either in the form of scholarships or sponsorship to enable them attain higher heights. Between the games, there is no competition to keep the athletes fit for competition as there are no competition within universities as in the US and university institutions do not create clubs to take part in civilian competitions.

The same goes for sports infrastructures which are renovated only on the eve of a Universiade and abandoned to fallow after the games.

Some of these handicaps result from the fact that the federation of university sports is entirely sponsored by State budget and therefore lack the necessary resources to put up permanent structures. FENASU should therefore be looking for sponsors within the corporate society in view of acquiring a befitting infrastructure that will equally enhance performance. The provision of incentives before, during and after the Games, will go a long way to promote the development of Sports talents with the country and therefore play its veritable role as a nursery for sports talents in the country.