National Flag in Hand: Cameroon’s Volleyball Lions Vow to Finish the Job in Tunisia

Cameroon’s national men’s volleyball team received the national flag on Wednesday in a ceremony at the Ministry of Sports and Physical Education in Yaounde. This gesture marks the official send-off for the squad as they prepare to head to the African Men’s Volleyball Championship in Tunisia from 13 to 28 September 2026.
Federation president Bello Bourdanne spoke to the players and staff during the ceremony. He told them that receiving the flag is not a formality but a responsibility and that it represents the trust of the nation. “Recevoir le drapeau, c’est recevoir une responsabilité. C’est recevoir la confiance d’une Nation,” he said, adding that the players carry the hopes of millions of Cameroonians with them.
President Bello Bourdanne referred directly to Cameroon’s recent history in the competition. The team lost the final in 2019 and again in 2021, taking silver both times. He said the federation does not see those results as failures, but as experience the current group can draw on, as several players from those campaigns remain in the squad today. He said this generation now understands what separates a silver medal from a gold one.

He also pointed to the coaching staff as a source of confidence. Head coach Jean Patrice Ndaki Mboulet and assistant coach Robert Samou are both former internationals. They were part of the Cameroon squad that won the country’s last African title in 2001 in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
Bourdanne added that Cameroon is not travelling to Tunisia only to take part, but stressed that the level of African volleyball has risen and that every match will need to be won on the court. He said respecting the opposition does not mean fearing them. Near the end of his speech, he told the players to think of the flag whenever a match became difficult, reminding them that more than twenty million Cameroonians would be following from home.

Minister of Sports and Physical Education Professor Narcisse Mouelle Kombi also addressed the team, encouraging the players to bring the trophy back to Cameroon. The team captain and members of the coaching staff spoke briefly as well before the flag was formally handed over.
Speaking to journalists after the ceremony, the team captain said the squad had prepared under good conditions and was confident of performing well in Tunisia.
Cameroon is currently ranked third in men’s volleyball on the continent, behind Tunisia and Egypt. At the last edition of the tournament, held in Egypt in 2023, Cameroon lost in the semifinals to the hosts and then lost the third-place match to Libya, finishing fourth overall.

Ahead of this tournament, the team held a training camp in Turkey before returning to Cameroon for the flag ceremony. The squad is expected to leave Yaounde for Tunis in the coming days.