Fight Against Doping : A Neglected Affair?

The “Organisation Camerounaise de Lutte contre le Dopage dans le Sport” (Ocaluds) recently stated that Usheni Hassan, the winner of the 2025 Mount Cameroon Race of Hope, tes- ted positive for tramadol. This development has raised eyebrows regarding the importance placed on the fight against doping, which is the use of banned athletic perfor- mance-enhancing drugs. It also serves as a wake-up call to examine the hurdles hampering the progress of existing efforts in Cameroon. The "Organisation Camerounaise de Lutte contre le Dopage dans le Sport," it should be recalled, suffered a severe blow last year when it was ruled non-compliant with the World Anti- Doping Agency (WADA) code. This ruling suggested that the doping fight in Cameroon has been "gasping for air" for a long while. With the creation of the Cameroon National Anti-doping Agency, there is hope for new impetus. The appointment of Minister Manaouda Malachie as President marks a clear intention to make the fight against doping a real public health issue. While authorities acknowledge on- going efforts to boost sensitization and prevention campaigns, the prac- tical execution of regular testing du- ring major national events remains a complex hurdle. How many fede- rations within the country prioritize anti-doping exercises before, during, and after major competitions? Very few would confidently give an affir- mative answer to this. However, some federations assert that during these competitions, doping tests are quite often conducted on certain athletes chosen at random, but consistently seeing full mobilization regarding doping ahead of these competitions is still lacking. A signi- ficant reason raised by some stake- holders is the prohibitive financial cost associated with comprehensive anti-doping tests. Officials say that samples are taken out of the country for testing...