A medal haul worth saluting
Cheers, ululations and quick selfie flashes filled the courtyard of the Presidential Security Directorate barracks on Thursday 4 September 2025 as athletes in crisp tracksuits marched forward, trophies aloft. The volleyball and karate sections of DGSP had come to show the fruits of a season that rewrote scoreboards.
Brigade General Serge Oboa, club president and patron of the ceremony, positioned himself in front of the formation, inspected each cup, then raised a hand in applause. His message was short: collective work pays, but only sustained effort will keep the blue-white jerseys on future podiums.
In return, the sportsmen and women handed over championship shields, individual MVP plaques and a cascade of regional medals—38 pieces of metal that clinked together like a well-rehearsed anthem for discipline. The scent of new ambitions, however, floated higher than the polish on any silverware.
Volleyball squads dominate nationals
DGSP’s volleyball academy barely dropped a set at the 30th National Championships, sweeping cadet, senior men and senior women titles in Brazzaville. Veteran setter Naveck Mavoungou directed plays calmly, while opposite hitter Linda Tsondé’s detonating spikes sealed a rarely seen triple crown.
The double MVP honours mirrored a training depth seldom matched in the domestic league. Coaches thanked the Ministry of Sports for smooth venues and gear grants, underlining how institutional backing sharpens young talent for upcoming continental showcases.
Statistics gathered by the Congolese Volleyball Federation show DGSP players served at 87 percent efficiency and averaged nine blocks per set, figures more common in Central African sub-regional tournaments than in national youth events (Congolese Volleyball Federation data).
Several scouts from Gabon and Cameroon reportedly requested highlight reels, a first signal that Congolese clubs can export players by nurturing them locally instead of sending teenagers abroad too early. For supporters, it also means more reasons to fill the bleachers at next season’s league kickoff.
Karate fighters punch above weight
If volleyball delivered height, karate provided raw impact. At the Open honouring late master Dominique Ondzié, DGSP fighters claimed ten golds, eight silvers and ten bronzes, building a table twenty points clear of their nearest rival, the seasoned Police Club.
Youngster Mélissa Boukadia, 19, captured the crowd by landing a clean utsuki in the dying second of the final. ‘Discipline outside the tatami is what let me stay calm in that moment,’ she said, acknowledging coaches who doubled as academic tutors during exam season.
Technical director Aimé Ndinga attributed the medal rush to longer morning sessions introduced after Ramadan, combined with video analysis borrowed from French clubs. ‘We watch ourselves on a projector, correct angles, then repeat. Confidence follows,’ he explained, hinting at future camps with regional federations.
The squad topped up its haul with ten more podium finishes at the Ouenzé sub-league and additional honours during the Brazzaville departmental tournament, proving depth rather than one-night brilliance. That consistency supports General Oboa’s vision of making DGSP a multi-sport reference inside the CEMAC zone.
General Oboa’s roadmap for 2026
Facing the athletes, General Oboa said winning once is history, winning again is culture. Each gold medallist receives an envelope—amount undisclosed—and the gym will see upgrades funded by the institution’s welfare programme, a gesture loudly applauded by watching parents.
Looking ahead, DGSP plans to enter volleyball and karate squads in the Central African Games qualifiers next March. Negotiations are under way for joint training with the Gabonese Republican Guard club, a cooperation encouraged by regional sports ministers to deepen people-to-people ties.
He also unveiled a surprise: a handball tournament in Madingou, Bouenza, under the departmental prefect’s patronage. Scheduled for December, the event aims to unearth talent and boost local tourism in the Niari valley, turning sport into an economic driver.
Beyond medals: community impact
For many residents around the barracks, DGSP’s victories translate into free weekend clinics where players teach passing drills or self-defence basics to schoolchildren. ‘My daughter never missed a session; now her grades and confidence are up,’ smiled Marcelle Nkouka, a market vendor watching the ceremony.
Sports sociologist Rodrigue Kimbouila sees that outreach as crucial. ‘When elite institutions open doors, they close gaps in the neighbourhood,’ he noted, adding that DGSP’s model aligns with national development plans prioritising youth empowerment through physical education (University of Brazzaville research).
As dusk settled, athletes posed for one last group shot, medals glinting under floodlights. Tomorrow returns to drills and shuttle runs, yet the evening’s message endures: Congolese excellence can be homegrown, celebrated respectfully, and shared widely—an anthem loud enough to echo well beyond the barracks walls.
The Directorate is negotiating with two private sponsors for academic scholarships linked to athletic performance, a package that could cover school fees for at least fifteen teens next year. Officials say the deal will tighten the bond between sporting success and classroom progress.
