HAINING (FIBA Diamond Ball for Women) - You want to know about a miracle in the Olympic women’s basketball tournament?

It’s called Mali.

The African champions are here in Haining, running up and down the floor at the FIBA Diamond Ball for Women as they prepare for the Olympics.

It’s hard to believe they’re here.

"We only have one gym in the entire country,” coach Jose Ruiz says. “It is located in the capital, Bamako.

“The court is so poor that you and I would not even park our cars there.

“The floor is far from being even and is full of bumps. It is a 1,000-seat arena, but it is so dirty that you cannot even see the wooden parquet floor.”

On Saturday, Mali played very well against China for three quarters before losing 91-67 and two days later against the world champions Australia, Mali were level at 21-21 after a basket from Hamchetou Maiga with nine minutes to go in the second quarter.

The Opals then blew them out, reeling off 23 consecutive points en route to a 112-43 victory.

But it’s a nice change from back home.

“Since there is no air conditioning,” Ruiz says, “the gym has holes in the walls so that some air can come in. But that brings a lot of dust and the floor is never wiped out.

“Sometimes we have 30 girls practicing at the same time, with only one basketball. There is just one basketball and it is so old and worn out that you cannot even determine its color.

“The court does not really have light apart from a couple of bulbs, not even spotlights. Sometimes the players practice 40 minutes, some others they cannot due to the conditions of the court, etc.”

Some teams go to the Olympics to win medals.

Teams like Mali only dream about reaching the Games.

It’s a challenge for Ruiz, but he wouldn’t change it for anything.

“I am working with the Mali national team, among other reasons,” he says, “because they are great people and I want to try to help them as much as possible.

“However, we lack all types of means: there is not a basketball culture, nor the financial means.”

And the feeling is mutual.

“After we beat Senegal in the final of the Africa Championship and thus qualified for the Beijing Olympic Games, our (basketball federation) president was named Minister of Sports and I received Mali citizenship and the highest distinction in the country,” Ruiz says.

“It was a huge success for Mali since Senegal had been clinching the title on the previous 19 occasions. And we beat them on their home court, in Dakar!”

Mali are still very much in the early stages of their basketball development.

“My hope is to be able to bring four, five or six of my national team players to compete in Europe after the Olympic Games,” Ruiz says.

“We currently have one player (Maiga) playing in the WNBA, three in France's second division and one in Algeria where the competition is extremely poor.

“But my goal is that after the Olympic Games, four, five or six of my players sign for teams in Europe, in France, in Belgium, in Spain so that they learn from scratch.”

Everything about this summer has been new for Ruiz’s players.

“For the preparation to these Olympic Games,” he says, “we spent 10 days in Jerez de la Frontera, in Spain, and some time in France.

“But these players are not used to practice on a daily basis and in good condition, with good arenas, etc.

“It is something that we have to teach them little bit little. They have to learn through hard work and team discipline.”

There are reasons to hope for Mali.

“The fact that a Chinese company is currently building a high-standard, 6,000-seat arena in Bamako is great news for us and a big hope for the future of Malian basketball," Ruiz says.

Mali are in Group B at the Olympics with China, New Zealand, the USA, Czech Republic and Spain.

(Credit: FIBA)