Posted by 
by Lamin Drammeh
His tragic passing on Sunday May 19, 2013, exactly seven years, will go down as one of the darkest days in Gambian sports. The sad news was greeted with overwhelming grief and disbelief across the Greater Banjul Area. The late Mamudou Jallow who goes by sobriquet ‘Max’ was the shining example of a quintessential sports personality who died with the desire to changing the direction of Gambian sports. He also led an aggressive campaign in the restructuring of sports associations in a bid to improve the standards of Gambian sports to meet the international standards.
Jallow, an erstwhile Development Officer at the National Sports Council played a leading role in the establishment of a National Sports Policy and Programmes. In an interview that I had with the late Max back in 2011, he outlined his offices plans to “strengthen the National Sports Policy and Programmes” as part of efforts “to ensure all national sports competitions are “decentralized”.
Regarded as a resourceful person and a humble workaholic, the late Max Jallow was the brainchild of the popular national Brufut Marathon which later became internationally recognized thanks to his tiredness sacrifice in connecting the Marathon run with the international world.
He was a leading actor in the restoration process of Wrestling – a traditional
sports in The Gambia and succeeded in bringing the popular sports back to live.
Jallow became a household name in the Gambia’s sports circles. Amongst his accomplishments include: the formation of a task force committee tasked with the responsibility of re-structuring national sports associations.
In the summer of 2012, Jallow presided over the annulment of of the registration of over 20 sports associations and subsequently dissolved its executive committees in controversial circumstances.
The late Jallow, was first appointed at the NSC as Development Officer in 2001. He left The Gambia to study in the United Kingdom where he bagged a master’s degree in Sports Science. And upon the completion of his studies in the U.K, he returned to The Gambia in 2011 to work with the National Sports council as the Executive Secretary. He replaced the late Abdul Aziz Titao Mendy at the helm.
As we continue to remember him for his unwavering support and sacrifice to our motherland, we pray for Allah’s infinite mercy and forgiveness.
Continue to sleep well my friend and partner in sports, Mamudou Max Jallow.
Note: The author, Lamin Drammeh is a renowned Sports journalist. He worked at The Point Newspaper in The Gambia as Deputy Sports Editor and other media outlets as Senior Sports Reporter. Drammeh is an Award winner for Best Male Sports Writer of the Year 2009. He also received two awards in the subsequent year 2010, (FIFA Award and GPU Award). He is currently based in the US.