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Two months that Oumar Dembélé languished behind the bars of the administrative detention center (CRA) of Metz. On Friday, around 6 a.m., the 20-year-old Malian finally left him, escorted by the French authorities to a plane leaving for Bamako, the capital of his country.
To the chagrin of those who had mobilized in favor of the release of the shot putter, very invested in his athletics club Nancy Athlétisme Métropole (NAM). He registered there in 2019, a year after his arrival in France, when he was still a minor and without papers. Since then, he has taken part in the French shot put championships twice, achieving the sixth best national performance in his category in 2021. At the same time, he managed to hang a plumbing CAP on his CV in June and had just benefited from a bridge to join a first class in a vocational high school. In his spare time, he coached the young people of NAM every weekend.
The club learned the date of his expulsion two days before the authorities proceeded with it. On Friday morning, several people from NAM and other acquaintances of the young Malian went to the CRA in Metz to show their support.
“We intend to see him here again”
Since his imprisonment at the end of January, his supporters had struggled with the authorities to try to get Oumar Dembélé out of the impasse. They had managed to obtain a certificate from the Mali consulate in Lyon which attested to the authenticity of the weight thrower’s papers. “It was yet another play that showed Oumar’s good faith”, says Axelle Picard, secretary general of NAM. The prefecture did not bend. According to the club, she explained that she was unable to recognize the papers in question.
In Bamako, Oumar Dembélé was able to find the Internet and discover the scale of the mobilization of recent weeks (an online petition collected more than 35,000 signatures, Tuesday March 14). “His coach had explained to him, but he hadn’t really realized. He was really grateful, it allowed him to keep his spirits up., says Axelle Picard. She insists that the club remains mobilized, even more than 6,000 kilometers away. “Our first concern was trying to stabilize his situation there so that he was safe and housed. Then to see how we could help him, accompany him.
This weekend, the Nancy club managed to put Oumar Dembélé in contact with the National Technical Directorate of the Malian Athletics Federation (FMA) so that the latter could resume athletics in Mali. “On the administrative side, we will try to see how we can organize ourselves to imagine a return, adds Axelle Picard. It will take the time it will take, but we intend to see him here again.
