Watch: Somalia athlete in no hurry to finish 100m race, netizens react
In a recent sports event that garnered attention in Somalia, officials faced criticism for their selection of a novice 100-metre sprinter, Nasra Abubakar Ali, to represent the country at the World University Games in China. The young athlete, lacking any prior experience in top-level competitions, took nearly twice the time of the eventual winner to complete the race, finishing in 21.81 seconds.
The sports minister, Mohamed Barre Mohamud, issued an apology for the embarrassment caused by the selection, acknowledging that it was not a true representation of the Somali people. The incident led to calls for officials to be sacked as many questioned why an untrained athlete was chosen to compete at such a prestigious international event, the BBC reported.
The Association of Somali Universities jas pledged to investigate the process that led to Nasra Abubakar Ali’s selection. It wrote on its official Facebook page that it had not nominated any individual to participate in international competitions.
“We urge people to be cautious of circulating misleading news that may lack authenticity and are shared by the media,” a translated version of the statement says.
“If this girl succeeded, all the ministries would have said that we had sent her and our efforts had been paid off. Encourage the girl and calm her head,” wrote one Facebook user in reply.
“Why didn’t you say when she was leaving? We didn’t send her and we don’t know anything about it. Are you saying when she failed? We don’t know about it,” wrote another.
There are some who are using the athlete’s action as a meme material.
This is not the first time Somalia has faced controversy over their choice of athletes for international events. In 2016, Maryan Nuh Muse’s sluggish performance in the 400m race at the Rio Olympics drew attention, and at the 2012 Olympics in London, Zamzam Mohamed Farah faced criticism and even death threats for her participation, the BBC added.
