Finite fundamental group from a uniform positive Ricci bound ($\mathrm{Ric}\ge (n-1)\kappa g⟹|{\pi }_1(M)|<\infty$)

If a connected complete Riemannian manifold has $\mathrm{Ric}\ge (n-1)\kappa g$ with $\kappa >0$, its universal cover with the lifted metric is complete and satisfies the same bound. The Bonnet-Myers theorem makes that cover compact. A covering fiber is closed and discrete and hence finite; the number of its elements equals the order of the fundamental group. Applying the diameter theorem only to the base would not prove this conclusion: the positive lower bound must also be used on the cover.