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Somalia suspend athletics chair after runner takes 21 seconds to finish 100m race in World University Games
There were also allegations that Nasra Abukar Ali was selected to compete in China because she is related to the athletics body chief Khadijo Aden Dahir.
Somalian runner Nasra Abukar Ali was in the headlines this week but for all the wrong reasons. The 20-year-old, who was competing in the World University Games in China, completed the 100 metres in more than 21 seconds. The video of a sluggish Nasra went viral on the internet. She finished more than 10 seconds behind the winner who clocked 11.58 seconds.
The incident sparked outrage and Somalia's Ministry of youth and sports suspended Khadijo Aden Dahir, the chairwoman of the country's athletics federation. There were also allegations that Nasra Abukar Ali was selected to compete in China because she is related to the athletics body chief Khadijo Aden Dahir, reported Associated Press.
The World University Games is being held in Chengdu, the capital of the Chinese province of Sichuan. The 31st edition of the event is scheduled to go on from July 28 to August 8. The tournament, designated for student-athletes, is held every two years.
In a viral video, Nasra can be seen literally struggling to complete the race. Ali fell so far behind her fellow competitors that she remained out of the frame for the majority of the race.
Somalian Sports Minister Mohamed Barre Mohamud said that a probe was conducted with the country’s National Olympics Committee. The investigation reportedly revealed that Nasra Abukar Ali was neither a “sports person nor a runner”. Khadijo Aden Dahir was accused of “abuse of power, nepotism, and defaming the name of the nation,” read a statement by the ministry shared on Twitter.
"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," Reuters quoted the minister as saying in an official statement.
“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,” read the statement.
Mohamud surprisingly went on to claim that there was no registered Somali University Sports Association in the country. An NBC News report claimed that the Association of Somali Universities also conveyed that it did not send any runners to take part in the World University Games.
Florence Griffith-Joyner holds the current world record for the 100m women’s race. At the US Olympic Trials in 1988, Griffith Joyner achieved the incredible feat of running 100m in 10.49 seconds.
