Mali at the 2004 Summer Olympics

Mali at the Olympic Games
Flag of Mali – Flag bearers IOC code  MLI NOC Comité National Olympique et Sportif du Mali
At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens
Competitors	23 (21 men, 2 women) in 4 sports
Flag bearer	Kadiatou Camara
Medals	Gold 0	Silver 0	Bronze 0	Total 0
Olympic history (summary)
Summer Games
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Mali competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.

Results by event

Athletics

Neither Malian athlete managed to advance beyond the opening round, though Camara fell less than two-tenths of a second short of advancement.

Men's 400 metre Hurdles:

• Ibrahima Maiga
  • Round 1: 50.63 s (6th in heat 3, did not advance, 28th overall)

Women's 200 metres:

• Kadiatou Camara
  • Round 1: 23.56 s (6th in heat 6, did not advance, 36th overall)

Football (Soccer)

The Malian team managed to qualify for the Olympics after winning a close final game against Cameroon, leaving them atop the group by just a single point.^[1] Coach Cheick Kowe named just one over-23 player, goalkeeper Fousseni Tangara. Ten of the eighteen-man squad played their club football in Mali, with Djoliba AC the most-represented club, having five members of the team.

Mali opened with a goalless draw against Mexico, and then beat the hosts from Greece with two first-half goals, including one in the second minute. This left them ahead of South Korea on goal differential going into the final group match. Mali surged into a 3-0 lead in the first 55 minutes, with Tenema N'Diaye registering a hat trick, but then fell apart, giving up three goals, including an own goal, in just seven minutes to end up with a 3-3 draw. This maintained the Malian's goal differential advantage, allowing them to win their group and progress. In the quarterfinals, they faced a favoured Italy team, and while Mali held the game scoreless into the second period of extra time, Italy scored the winning goal just four minutes before penalties, eliminating the African side. Mali's top scorer, with four of their five goals, was Tenema N'Diaye of Tunisia's CS Sfaxien.

Men's Competition:

• Team Roster
  • Goalkeepers
    • Cheick Bathily
    • Fousseni Tangara
  • Defenders
    • Moussa Coulibaly
    • Drissa Diakite
    • Boucader Diallo
    • Boubacar Kone
    • Adama Tamboura
    • Abdou Traore
  • Midfielders
    • Mamadi Berthe
    • Abdoulaye Diawara
    • Momo Sissoko
  • Forwards
    • Sedonoude Abouta
    • Mamadou Diallo
    • Mintou Doucoure
    • Jimmy Kebe
    • Tenema N'Diaye
    • Rafan Sidibe
    • Dramane Traore

Mali also had four alternate players, who are not counted as part of the official roster.

• Alternates
  • Somaila Diakite (goalkeeper)
  • Mouhamed Fall (midfielder)
  • Alain Claude Traore (forward)
  • Oumar Traore (midfielder)

• Group A
  • Drew with Mexico (0 - 0)
  • Defeated Greece (2 - 0) (Mamadi Berthe 2', Tenema N'Diaye 45')
  • Drew with South Korea (3 - 3) (Tenema N'Diaye 7', Tenema N'Diaye 24', Tenema N'Diaye 55')
• 1st in group, Qualified (5 points, 5 GF, 3 GA, 2 GD)
• Quarterfinal: Lost to Italy (0 - 1; a.e.t)

Judo

The only Malian judoka in Athens drew a bye in the opening round, but was unable to score a point in his second round match.

Men's 73 kg (Lightweight):

• Bourama Mariko
  • Round of 32: Bye
  • Round of 16: Lost to C Bastea of Romania (Kesa-gatame; w'ari ippon - 3:27)

Swimming

Neither swimmer managed to qualify for the second round, with David Keita finishing fifth-from-last and Pauline Keita finishing second-last.

Men's 50 metre Freestyle:

• David Keita
  • Heat: 29.96 s (79th overall, did not advance)

Women's 100 metre Breaststroke:

• Pauline Keita
  • Heat: 1:30.40 (46th overall, did not advance)

Officials

• President: Habib Sissoko
• Secretary General: Mohamed Oumar Traore

References

• Official Report of the XXVIII Olympiad

• Wallechinsky, David; Jamie Loucky (2008). The Complete Book of the Olympics : 2008 Edition. London: Aurum Press. ISBN 978-1845133306. 

1. ^ "Games of the XXVIII. Olympiad Football Qualifying Tournament record". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. March 13, 2005. http://rsssf.com/tableso/ol2004q.html. Retrieved 2008-06-26.