During these past years, however, his ordeal has not been the subject of any exposure, monitoring or communication at the international level and Andre Jocelyn, who in 2014 had finished at the foot of the podium of the African Championships and had participated in the World Junior Championships in Cape Town in 2011, had simply disappeared from the statistics and for a good reason.
For six years, he has been confined at home in a medical bed, after being seriously injured in the final of a tournament on the continent. As he told the media with great emotion, “It is not because I had this accident that everything had to stop. I understand that it is my body that is affected, but I have all my head." However, the life of the Gabonese champion is now in parentheses and reduced to a strict minimum. Today he survives thanks to the dedication of his relatives and especially his mother, whose means are consistently very limited.
Informed of the situation just a few days ago by a network of judo friends, the International Judo Federation immediately reacted and began to look into possibilities to support Andre Jocelyn Ename and his family. Thus President Marius Vizer took the decision to allocate the remainder of the fundraising carried out during the 'Masks for Africa' operation to the family of the young man.
These funds can be used to improve his living conditions and well-being, to adapt his housing for his disability, for his medical follow-up or even for him to benefit from the care of a physiotherapist at home several times a week.
It is in these painful and terrible times that our judo family must be more united than ever. Andre Jocelyn Ename says it himself, "I just need a little help, a little consideration, just love and understanding."
This is what we are doing and will be doing, Andre Jocelyn! Courage!
We will hear from him regularly and continue to mobilise the judo community so that no-one is forgotten and left on the side of the road.