Young Somalian athlete’s slow performance leads to the suspension of a sports official

A 20-year-old Somalian athlete’s slow performance at China’s World University Games has led to the suspension of a sports official belonging to the Somali Athletics Federation.

On August 4, athlete Nasra Abubakar Ali took twice as much time as the winner at the 100m event. Her poor performance raised questions about the committee that sent the Somalian athlete to the international championship.

In an embarrassing moment for the African country, the 20-year-old was spotted running far behind other competitors at the 100m event. Moreover, she finished the race in a time frame of 21.81 seconds, taking 21 seconds more than the winner.

Ali’s poor performance invited heavy criticism when it was found out by the Somali Ministry of Youth and Sport that she was not a proper runner. As a consequence, Khadijo Aden Dahir, the chairwoman of the Somali Athletics Federation was accused of abusing her power.

She was also alleged to be promoting nepotism in athletics and defaming Somalia on the world map by the Somali Ministry of Youth and Sport.

The ministry has taken legal action against the chairwoman and everybody else involved in the athlete’s selection. As of now, the investigation body has discovered a fake sports body known as the Somali University Sports Association.

Amidst the scandalous incident, Sports Minister Mohamed Barre Mohamud expressed his views to the media:

"What happened today was not a representation of the Somali people... we apologise to the Somali people," he said.

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Former NFL player reacts to the Somalian athlete’s performance

Pat McAfee is a podcaster and former NFL player

The Somalian athlete’s news shocked the internet, inviting reactions from netizens and renowned personalities. Recently, former NFL player and a sports analyst on ESPN's College GameDay, Pat McAfee also gave his reaction to the 20-year-old’s slow performance at the 100m event.

“Somalis (are) known, I believe, I'm not sure, but like marathon running. Like long-distance running... She lost the race before it started. She's running in place. She's running in place in a race. It's awesome. We'd like to let her know that nepotism sometimes is cool,” he said on his show.

Moreover, a Twitter post by Elham Garaad highlighted that Nasra Abubakar Ali was the niece of chairwoman Khadijo Aden Dahir. She uploaded a Facebook post congratulating Ali for her performance at the 31st FISU World University Games in China.

Pat McAfee also expressed his amazement at the Somalian athlete getting the opportunity to be competing in the international arena because of a connection with the chairwoman. However, amidst the shameful incident, McAfee stated that it was not fair to throw shade at the country of Somalia.