Somalia's minister of youth and sports took action by suspending the chairperson of the country's athletics federation following a controversial incident at the World University Games. Nasra Abukar Ali, a female sprinter, participated in the women's 100m race at the event held in China, but unfortunately, she finished last, taking more than 21 seconds to complete the race. In response to this performance, the minister is now preparing to initiate legal action to address the matter further.
The race winner clocked an impressive 11.58 seconds, making Nasra's finishing time stand out even more in comparison.
The untrained 20-year-old was not even in the frame in a video that went viral on social media as the rest of the field crossed the finish line.
Ali was neither a sportsperson nor a runner, according to a probe by Somalia's National Olympic Committee, according to Sports Minister Mohamed Barre Mohamud.
“Khadijo Aden Dahir, the Chairwoman of the Somali Athletics Federation, has engaged in acts of abuse of power, nepotism, and defaming the name of the nation in (the) international arena,” the minister said in a statement. It did not elaborate on the charge of nepotism.
“Based on these findings, the Chairman of the Somalia National Olympics committee should suspend Khadijo Aden.
“Furthermore, the Ministry… firmly declares its intention to pursue legal action against both the Chairman of the Athletics Federation of Somalia and individuals responsible for the falsification of the Somali University Sports Association.”
During the investigation, it was also discovered that there was no registered Somali University Sports Association, as per the statement by the ministry.
