IMA and MALI

The International Medalist Association and the West African country of Mali, where the historic city of Timbuktu is located, have entered into a unique and unprecedented partnership. IMA has always utilized sports as a vehicle to introduce and inculcate life skills and other pertinent information to youth, and  the partnership with Mali exemplifies this philosophy. Developed years ago and maturing over the years, the partnership encompasses a number of activities:

• a coaches training/college internship

• youth sports, education, health, and leadership program

• an international student e-mail exchange program

The crown jewel of this partnership is the Mali Youth Peace Games, consisting of competition in basketball and athletics (track and field) for youth between 16 to 18 years of age, that will occur on December 28, 2005.

Besides being the first event of its kind in Africa, the Mali Youth Peace Games are also unique because they will foster communication between athletes of all races and religions.

The athletes will live together for three days and Olympians from  the United States and Africa will moderate discussions between the athletes in the evenings after the competition. Athletes who have already committed to being part of the event are Olympians Amadu Ba of Senegal, Willie Banks, Lee Evans, Kevin Young, and Mal Whitfield of the United States, and Francis Dove-Edwin of Sierra Leone. A few of the areas covered by the discussions will be:

• solidarity

• HIV

• malaria

• education

• Truce

• physical fitness

• peer relationships

• conflict resolution

IMA has been developing this project for years and it was first discussed in 2000 between IMA president Ron Freeman and Marcelin Dally, who is in charge of the Physical Education and Sport Program of UNESCO, when a Memorandum of Understanding was developed between the two organizations. IMA president Ron Freeman says, "I am very happy to see my vision materialize." Mr. Habib Sissoko, President of the Mali National Olympic Committee, added, "I have been working with the International Medalist Association for several years and the Mali National Olympic Committee looks forward to a long and continued relationship with them. The Mali Peace Games will greatly assist the progress of the Mali Olympic Development Program." 

Also, the Mali Peace Games will be the culminating event for the International Year of Sport and Physical Education which is a United Nations Initiative and promoted worldwide by UNESCO.

The recently formed Mali Youth Peace Games Commission will take the lead role in the event and the Games are being sponsored by the United States Department of State, the U.S. Embassy of Mali, the Mali National Olympic Committee, and UNESCO. The program director is Moussa Sabadogo, an Olympian and president of the Mali World Olympian Association.

The Games headquarters is being sponsored by the Mirabeau Hotel in Bamako. Additional members of the commission are Mali's Minister of Youth and Sport, the Minister of Education, and the cities of Sikasso and Mopti. Also, many NGOs in Mali are assisting with the  development of the Games.

IMA established four goals in developing its relationship with Mali:

• To strengthen the technical and socialization skills of youth, secondary school athletic coaches, and physical and health education for the Islamic youth in three cities.

• To promote cross-cultural dialogue and strengthen institutional working partnerships between U.S .college track and field field training programs, foreign ministries of education and health, and public secondary school and athletic institutions.

• To provide sports management training and sports facility management for four foreign coaches through the International Coaches Training Exchange Program involving partnerships between the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, and the DC Sports & Entertainment Commission.

• To enhance and expand IMA's existing partnerships with UNESCO, International Olympic Committee, the U.S. Department of State, and the United States Olympic Committee as well as national ministries of sports and education to closely coordinate with, and leverage the resources of the U.S. Embassy and State Department programs involved in international youth sports cultural exchange programs.

The processes involved in meeting the numerous objectives necessary for the realization of these goals are occurring, as evidenced by the upcoming Mali Youth Peace Games.

click here for information about the significance of Mali.

click here for photos of the Games.