Sports

Former Malian female basketball coach banned for life over sexual abuse of players

Published

11 months ago

June 22, 2023

The former coach of Mali’s junior women’s basketball team, Amadou Bamba, has been handed a lifetime ban from the sport after an investigation by the Mali Basketball Federation (FMBB), found him guilty of “systemic sexual harrassment” of his players.

An independent report of a probe panel set up by the FMBB to investigate allegations against Bamba also found that federation had been “negligent for decades in what appears to have become an institutionalised system of sexual abuse and harassment and cover-ups.”

Bamba, who is one of five former coaches and officials sanctioned following the investigation carried out by world basketball governing body, FIBA, was accused by several of his players of sexually abusing them during camping periods.

Others indicted were the former FMBB President, Harouna Maiga, who was handed an eight-year suspension while former Secretary General, Seydou Maiga, received a six-year suspension.

A former FMBB Vice President, Amadou Traore and former assistant coach, Fatoumata Diallo, were also suspended for four and two-year suspension respectively and will have will have to complete FIBA-approved safeguarding training before being allowed to return to the sport.

The report noted that FIBA began disciplinary actions against 10 people in June 2021 shortly after receiving the allegations of abuse, initially handing out provisional suspensions from several victims which swept aside then FIBA President, Hamane Niang, who is from Mali and was FMBB president between 1999 and 2007, as he agreed to step aside temporarily but resumed his position three months later after being cleared of overlooking abuse.

An independent report commissioned by Fiba and published in September 2021 confirmed the “sexual abuse within the FMBB over decades” describing testimonies given by some officials as “evasive, contradictory and untruthful”.

“The FMBB has been negligent for decades in what appears to have become an institutionalised system of sexual abuse and harassment and cover-ups,” the report said.

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Sports

Ethiopian marathon legend Bekele returns to Olympics after 12-year absence

Published

19 hours ago

May 17, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

After a 12-year absence on the international race circuit, Ethiopian marathon legend, Kenenisa Bekele, has announced that he will return for the 2024 Olympic Games in July after he was named in a 10-member team on Thursday.

The 41-year-old Bekele last competed in the London Games in 2012 when he finished fourth in the men’s 10,000m before he was overlooked for the 2016 and 2020 Olympics.

His surprise return to the Ethiopian team came after a remarkable second-place finish at the London Marathon in April which was enough to earn him a place for the Paris Olympics in a squad which also features women’s world record holder Tigist Assefa.

In his heydays, Bekele won three Olympic golds in the 5,000m and 10,000m, and is now expected to renew his rivalry with reigning Olympic champion and former world record holder, Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya who was also named in the Kenyan team.

In August 2003, Kipchoge dusted his Ethiopian rival when the two met for the first time at the Paris World Championships, holding on to win the 5,000m race, pipping Moroccan Hicham El Guerrouj into second place while Bekele finished third.

Bekele made his marathon debut in April 2014 when he produced the sixth-fastest run over the distance in Paris but his career has been hampered by injuries.

Other members of the Ethiopian men’s team for the Olympics are Sisay Lemma, the Valencia marathon champion, and Deresa Geleta, while 2023 New York marathon champion and 2022 world champion Tamirat Tola and Eusedin Mohammed, are standby reserves.

Sports

Zambia’s women national team coach face new sexual assault allegation

Published

1 day ago

May 16, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

Zambia women national team coach, Bruce Mwape, is facing new allegations of sexual assault and misconduct at the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, prompting an investigation by world football governing body, FIFA.

Mwape who is currently facing allegations of sexual harassment after some of his players laid accusations against him, has been accused by a female FIFA contractor of inappropriately touching her breast during the tournament.

A report on the Fifa website disclosed that the body received an official complaint accusing the 64-year-old Mwape of touching the breast of a FIFA contractor from New Zealand.

The complainant is quoted to have told Fifa officials that Mwape had inappropriately touched her breasts in a suggestive manner.

“I remember him putting his hand on my shoulder to say ‘Good morning,’ but then he went again and wiped his hand straight down the front, obviously touching my boob,” the contractor reportedly said.

“It happened so quickly. It felt wrong to me but I also questioned whether it had just been a mistake. But after that, his relationship with me was very different. So I think he knew what he had done was not appropriate,” the unnamed contractor added.

The incident, according to the report, allegedly occurred while the team was staying at an Auckland hotel before their match against Spain.