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The 2024 Paris Olympics came to an end on Sunday, August 11. More than two weeks later, the Games continue to make headlines in Mali, which has yet to win any medals. After poor sporting results, the budget problems of the Malian National Olympic and Sports Committee (Cnosm) have become a hot topic in the media. Hundreds of millions of CFA francs seem to have disappeared between the Minister of Sports and the Cnosm headquarters.
According to data disclosed by the director of the State Sports General Administration, the state allocates about 190 million to the Olympic Committee every year. Regarding Mali’s participation in the 2024 Paris Olympics, Alou Boubou Diallo confirmed that the budget is 368 million US dollars.
The CNOSM treasurer has the opposite view, especially regarding the amount announced for the Games. The IOC prepared a draft budget in the amount of 420,253,400 CFA francs and sent it by mail to the Ministry of Sports on May 15, 2024. This draft budget was signed by the Secretary General and the General Treasurer. We therefore learned through the media that, for the participation of Mali, Cnosm will propose a budget of 782 million CFA francs. We were surprised to learn of this amount through the media. A little calculation shows a gap of 362,720,000 with the budget submitted by the Organizing Committee to the Ministry of Sports. We were surprised that even out of the 782,000,000 sent to the Minister of Finance, the Ministry of Sports apparently received a notification of 360,600,000 CFA francs. Contrary to what many people think, this budget notified to the Minister of Sports was not given to the NOC. It was given to the Minister of Sports, who took the initial steps of committing, authorizing and making a request for payment to the public treasury. We were then informed (we have not received a letter to this effect) that the Public Treasury paid 360,600,000 CFA francs, Abdoulaye Coulibaly said, pointing out that he has all the verifiable documentary proof of the figure he proposed.
Only $82 million of the $360 million the Treasury paid out was used.
Questioning the whereabouts of the 360,600,000 CFA F paid from public finances to the Ministry of Sports, the IOC treasurer will specify that of this 360,600,000 CFA F, Cnosm received only 93,921,633 CFA F through three transfer instructions, adding previously that there was also 266 million CFA francs allocated by the Ministry of Sports, whose use or utilization we are not unaware of.
Giving the impression of playing a transparent game, the financier of the National Olympic Committee flashed his credentials: After the Olympics, we are finalizing our report and we are ready to repay the amount of 11,742,000 yuan. 93,921,633 was used to buy tickets for the second round for the football team eliminated in the first round. If deducted, we only used 82,179,233 F CFA. Or 22% of the funds provided by the state to the Ministry of Sports for Mali to prepare for and participate in the Olympics. The IOC also reimbursed the air tickets for 8 athletes. We will also withdraw this money from the bank account of the committee and transfer it to the account of the Minister of Sports. We have the responsibility to do so.
Alassane Sissouma
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Abdoul Wahab Zorome, Third Vice President of CNOSM:
The bet determines the outcome
The National Olympic and Sports Committee of Mali (Cnosm), which has come under intense criticism for the fact that Mali’s participation in the 2024 Paris Olympics resulted in zero medals in five sports, appeared in the media on Tuesday, August 27, to tell what it called part of the truth. In his reply, the third vice-president, Abdel Wahab Zorome, declared that Cnosm does not control Mali’s sports policy but rather determines the stakes of athletes’ performance to justify the results achieved by Malian athletes at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
About two weeks ago, the Minister of Sports hosted a press conference to take stock of the activities he had carried out in a month. During this meeting with media figures, the Ministry of Sports announced that it had sent a request to the Malian National Olympic and Sports Committee (Cnosm) to explain the results of Malian athletes at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, which will be held from July 24 to August 11 in France.
Mali represented the country in five sports but returned empty-handed without winning any medals. In his diatribe, the head of the department, Abdoul Kassim Fomba, declared that responsibilities must be well defined to understand what works and what doesn’t. The same is true for the federations, whose officials are responsible for fulfilling their duties thanks to the mandate of the sports department. These leaders must be in office to promote their discipline. We are not here to give gifts or create smiles to please others. The actions we take are a mission that each of us must fulfill. From ministers to the various federations, including the Olympic and sports committees. It is therefore important that everyone assumes their role. When we do not play our role well, we either strengthen ourselves or get off the ship. But we cannot continue to be humiliated on the international stage. It is not about winning everything. But at least it shows that we are doing our best. How are the choices of athletes and their performances explained? How is the money invested by the country managed? These are things we want to know so that we can move forward better in the future.
Following these statements, the Malian National Olympic and Sports Committee (Cnosm) also took action. At a press conference held in Bamako on Tuesday, August 27, to meet the needs of the cause, the third vice-president of Cnosm said that for an athlete to reach a certain level, there must be a real champion. It is with this real champion that the athlete can participate in sub-regional competitions. The same is true for regional and global levels. Therefore, if the athlete maintains world level for three consecutive years, we can conclude that he can get an Olympic medal in the following fourth year. Abdel Wahab Zorom replied that if we tell you all the efforts made for those who win Olympic medals, the money invested and the time spent in preparation, you will understand that we are still far from what we ask, because it is a difficult job.
On the question of the budget allocated to the National Olympic Committee, the Vice-President made it clear that it is only the minimum in relation to the expectations and ambitions held and that the Olympic Committee should not be solely responsible for the reported sporting results. The Olympic Committee is the supporter of Mali’s sport. The Olympic Committee does not master a country’s sports policy. It is often said that comparisons are incorrect. But if we do not always compare, we cannot understand something. Guinea participated in the Olympics with the same lineup as Mali with a budget of 27 million dollars. For Côte d’Ivoire, the cost of 13 athletes was more than 1 billion CFA francs. Cameroon’s prize money for 6 athletes was 900 million. We do not compare because we know the current value of public funds. We understand the country’s situation, which is why we agreed to fight with the means we have. Understand that everything you have can only be proportional to your investment. Your bet will determine your results. No more, no less. You cannot beat those who bet billions with 200 or 300 million. It is very difficult, he concluded.
Alassane Sissouma
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