Hamane Niang, president of the International Basketball Federation (Fiba), withdrew after the publication of a New York Times investigation and accused him of ignoring sexual abuse in Malian basketball in the 2000s, in particular. Accusations that this former Minister of Sports in Mali denies.
Hamane Niang, president of the International Basketball Federation (Fiba), returned a few days before the Tokyo Olympics. The former head of the African Confederation (FibaAfrique, from 2014 to 2019) and former Minister of Sports in Mali (2007-2011) is accused,in a New York Times article, to turn a blind eye to sexual abuse in Malian basketball when he led the federation.
The article, which was published on June 14, 2021, states than Hamane Niang “Led the Malian Federation at a time of systematic exploitation of female players,” citing testimonies gathered specifically by local activists. Niang, 69, is not accused of committing sexual assault. But critics say he largely ignored the attack on women for a dozen years between 1999 and 2011, when he was first president of the Malian Basketball Association and then the country’s sports minister. », Continues New York Times.
The investigation, led by Romain Molina and Jeré Longman, goes even further: “In interviews with The Times in recent months, players from Malia have described Niang as having not taken action and in some cases being present when the facts occurred. “
Three people suspended by Fiba
For its part, Fibaa reacted through a press release: “The authors of the article claim that the President of Fiba was or should have been aware of these sexual assaults within the Malian Basketball Association, especially during his time as leader of the Federation from 1999 to 2007 The President of Fiba, who strongly denies these allegations, made the decision to resign temporarily while the investigation is ongoing. He also offered his full cooperation. “
The International Basketball Federation also reports that three people “were suspended from all Fibapour activities during the investigations: coach Amadou Bamba, coach Oumar Sissoko and the official Hario Maiga”. The first two, which are widely questioned by the American daily, led national teams from Mali, one of the best nations on the continent in the youth categories.
“Fiba has no tolerance for all forms of harassment and abuse and wants to express its sincere sympathy to all victims of such behavior,” the department assured in its press release. Fiba is committed to ensuring that any termination of such acts is taken seriously and properly investigated. “Those in the Malian basketball file are being scrutinized Richard McLaren, well-known lawyer in the sports world. The Canadian hopes to be able to give the results of his survey shortly after the Olympics in Tokyo.
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