Cameroon:ONI Ladonette Ondesa Wins Another Award for Sports Journalism Excellence

Less than a month after receiving the Best Young Sports Journalist award from the Minister of Sports Narcisse Mouelle Kombi,at the “Trophée AJSC”, ONI Ladonette Ondesa has once again been recognized for her impact on sports reporting in Cameroon.

The presenter of the flagship program “La Presse refait le match “aired on Cameroon’s first private television channel, STV, has been named Best Female Sports Journalist of 2024 by the Scoop Excellence Awards.

The 10th edition of the Scoop Excellence Awards took place on Saturday, August 2, 2025, in Kumba, chief town of Meme Division in the South West Region. The awards celebrate outstanding men and women in the fields of media, corporate leadership, humanitarian work, and banking. The event is organized by veteran journalist Larry Esong, publisher of The Scoop newspaper.

This marks Ladonette’s second award in sports journalism and third overall in her career. The vibrant and dynamic TV personality began her journey in media after winning a competition organized by Canal 2 International called “Le Jeune Présentateur” in 2019, while pursuing her undergraduate degree in African Languages and Linguistics at the University of Douala. Since then, she has grown into one of Cameroon’s finest journalists.

In 2023, ONI received her first major recognition at the Cameroon Television Awards, where she was named Best Female English News Presenter, an award handed to her by the legendary Albert Roger Milla. In 2024, she earned three nominations at the same awards (Best English News Presenter, Best Sports Program, and Best Magazine Presenter), but did not win. She was also nominated for Best Female Sports Reporter at the Victoria International Media Merit Awards, but missed out there as well.

So far in 2025, the 24-year-old journalist has bagged two major awards. In her acceptance speech shared on social media, she used the moment to advocate for girls’ education, a cause close to her heart.

“My journey in sports journalism hasn’t been easy,” she said. “It’s a field that, let’s be honest, often sidelines women both on the pitch and behind the mic. But my parents believed in education, and that belief carried me into spaces where women’s voices aren’t always heard, into locker rooms, stadiums, press conferences, and now, onto this stage.”

She called on parents to invest in their daughters’ education, stressing that this is key to reducing the underrepresentation of women in fields like medicine, sports, politics, and journalism.

While currently shaping the media landscape through fair and dedicated reporting, the La Presse refait le match host is also stepping into sports marketing and branding. She has launched a new personal initiative to help athletes, find their voice on social media.The challenge kicked off on July 1, 2025.