The President of the International Federation, the Malian Hamane Niang, resigned yesterday, at least temporarily, from his post, as The New York Times prepared to publish an investigation into allegations of systemic sexual harassment and abuse of dozens of players in Mali, the majority of them being teenagers at the time of the alleged incidents.
“Niang, 69, has not been charged with committing sexual abuse. But critics say he largely ignored assault on women for a dozen years between 1999 and 2011, when he was first president of the Malian basketball federation and then the country’s sports minister. . And, say these critics, with yet another inaction as FIBA president, Niang continues to leave female players vulnerable to exploitation in her home country, a former predominantly Muslim French colony where women experience extreme inequality. in everyday life ”, writes the American daily.
Hamane Niang firmly denies the accusations and said he wanted to cooperate with the investigation that the international federation will itself conduct. “I have never been involved and I have never heard of the accusations described in your correspondence”, Niang wrote to New York Times in an email. FIBA said it had “Zero tolerance for all forms of harassment and abuse and expresses its sincere compassion for the victims of such behavior”. She insists on the president’s right to the presumption of innocence and will not make any further comment pending the outcome of the investigation.
Hamane Niang is a politician who, after being Minister of Sports of Mali, was elected President of the Malian Basketball Federation in 1999, then President of FIBA Africa before being elected President of FIBA in 2019.
Photo: FIBA
