CHINA DAILY THURSDAY, AUGUST 9, 2012 olympics 3 Gymnast Cameroon athletes jump Olympic ship is serious in search of jobs

By GREGORY KATZ Olympic Committee spokesman and RAISSA IOUSSOUF in Mark Adams said on Wednesday. about funny Associated Press “But at this stage I don’t think it’s necessarily for the IOC to worry Seven Cameroon athletes who about whether they will outstay left the Olympic Village in the dead their welcome.’’ of night may be seeking new homes Tataw said the boxers had refused business and better sports opportunities to hand in their visas for safekeeping elsewhere, a Cameroon Olympic at the start of the London Olympics, offi cial said on Wednesday. which should have been seen as a Th e seven Olympians have valid “hint” that they wanted to leave. He By WU YING the dictionary to learn the UK visas that would allow them to said it is oft en fi nancially benefi cial [email protected] English words and carefully stay in Britain for six months, press for the athletes’ families if they are penciled the Chinese mean- attache Emmanuel Tataw said, able to fi nd a niche in Europe. Feng Zhe isn’t just an ings on the map and rules noting this has happened before to Boxer Th omas Essomba, one of Olympic parallel bars gold guide. I was so moved that I Olympic squads competing at tour- the missing, had earlier stayed in medalist. He’s also a budding erased all the Chinese while naments in Melbourne and Athens. Britain aft er a Welsh championship online comedian. Coach Wang slept to further “Most of the time they don’t rather than return to Cameroon but The great has consolidate the words in his come back,’’ he said. that didn’t work out, Tataw said. been celebrated as a fun- memory.” Cameroon sent 37 athletes to the Government offi cials will meet nyman for his posts on Sina Fans besieged his weibo London Games and more than half aft er the Games to come up with Weibo, a micro-blog service after won the team of them, mostly the women’s soccer ways to stop this from happening that’s China’s event championship. Feng team, had left the city after they in the future, he said. answer to Twit- realized his weibo had become were eliminated. Th e missing ath- “(But) it’s a phenomenon that ter. a hit but didn’t stop roasting letes include fi ve boxers, a swimmer can’t be stopped completely,’’ he Feng was quite his coach. and a soccer player, all of whom had said. serious when “Oops … Coach Wang completed their events, he said. He listed the seven as 50m he snagged the parallel bars is very angry with me and Cameroon, a predominantly freestyle swimmer Paul Edingue gold on Tuesday, his second blamed me for playing tricks French-speaking nation of 20 mil- Ekane, 21; women’s goalie Drusille aft er leading his team to vic- on him every day, which lion in west central Africa, is among Ngako Tchimi, 25; and fi ve boxers: tory. But right aft er that win, made him known to so many the poorest nations on earth, with Essomba, 24; Christian Donfack he took a turn for the silly, people. I told him I was inno- an estimated 2011 economic output Adjoufack, 28; Hyacinthe Mewoli and roasted his coach on his cent, since every debt has its of just $1,230 per person, according Abdon, 26; Blaise Yepmou Men- weibo. debtor, and most of my tweets to the International Monetary Fund. douo, 27; and Serge Ambomo, 26. “When the last gymnast were actually borrowed from Tataw said the five boxers also Sports offi cials in Cameroon said landed, I walked up to Coach the Internet, and I simply had Schengen visas because they there were indications of problems Wang with my arms open. adapted the hit jokes. So, if had trained in Italy before the with the boxing team. Jean Paul Wang said to me: ‘Good you need a punching bag, Games. Th at would make it easier Monyemo, deputy national trainer job, Chubby. Perfect! Come blame (the actual writers),” for them to travel legally to other for boxing, said head trainer Justin here! You deserve a hug!’ I Feng wrote. European countries, including Tchouem told him on Friday the said: ‘No, I deserve chocolate Th e 25-year-old has more France, which has a large Camer- team might be planning to defect. cheesecake. One this long!” than 2.6 million followers, oonian community that includes “But no one suspected they he tweeted, including a photo and many fans collected and some athletes’ friends and family. would move so fast. By Sunday of himself with his arms open shared his best tweets. His JULIE JACOBSON / ASSOCIATED PRESS London Olympic officials said morning, they had disappeared,’’ right aft er he medaled. posts talk about languages, Chinese gymnast Feng Zhe celebrates after winning the gold medal on the parallel bars on even though Cameroon officials he said. Another of his tweets about food, coaches, parents, refer- Tuesday. were seeking help in locating the Britain’s Offi ce for National Sta- Wang was reposted nearly ees and rivals. athletes, they had not breached tistics says fewer than 20,000 Cam- 45,000 times: “It’s really not One of his popular tweets is, women’s team! Come on, His teammate and five- two jokes every day before their visas or violated any immi- eroonians live in the UK. easy for Coach Wang … to “Our impression of the good girls! Don’t forget to come time gold medalist Zou Kai training. But the baby- gration laws. The UK Border Agency says understand the underground South Korean gymnasts starts back to marry us! Oh, no, just knows Feng’s sense of humor faced Feng revealed that he “Th e team has obviously raised the majority of asylum applicants names and game times. He from the appeals they lodged.” marry (Feng’s as well as anyone. becomes bashful when talk- a concern and the police are obvi- from Cameroon are refused and spent two days consulting Another is: “Come on, teammate)!” Zou said Feng told one or ing to women gymnasts. ously informed,’’ International deported.