Our Adoptive Homes at the Games (by Thom)

Ni Hao Ma! ("Hello" in Chinese) You might of heard but there's some sort of gathering of athletes going on in the Far East right now. We're not bombarded with the media storm here regarding the Olympics but we do hear about them. In fact, one thing we've heard a lot about lately is the success of the woman's basketball team from Mali.
Last year the Malian woman's team beat (in a major upset) Senegal to be the only team from Africa to head to the Beijing games. So far they haven't won a game (losing to New Zealand and the Czech Republic) but their participation at the Olympics is a victory in and of itself. Mali only has one basketball gym in the whole country and woman's athletics isn't a high priority here. Mali is also represented at the Games by Daba Keita, a Taekwondo competitor. This will be Mali's 11th time to sent athletes to the Olympics but they've yet to win a medal.
On the other hand, the country where we're moving next year (Senegal) has had some success at the Games. In 1988, at the Seoul Games Amadou Dia Ba took home the Silver for his performance in the 400 meter hurdles. This year Senegal has sent athletes to compete in Canoeing, Fencing, Judo, Taekwondo, and Wrestling.
One thing I've noticed between here and the US is that the African countries don't send athletes in every category like the major players (the US, Russia, China, etc) do. By sending only a handful of athletes it may be harder to win the events but it does become easier to cheer on your fellow countrymen. We'll try and keep you posted on how Mali and Senegal fair in these 2008 Olympic Games.