Screenshot Courtesy of The Guardian / YouTube
Slow and steady did not win the race for un-trained Somali track-and-field novice Nasra Abubakar Ali, who competed in the women’s 100m race at the 2023 FISU World University Games in China on Tuesday, Aug. 2.
She finished at 21.81s — almost double the Brazilian winner Gabriela Silva Mourao’s 11.58s.
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The video of Ali racing went viral, causing the internet to scratch their heads and wonder how FISU authorized an untrained woman to participate in the race. Many found the video comical.
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Somalia’s Ministry of Youth and Sports emailed the Somali National Olympics Committee, cc’ing the Somali Athletics Federation, the Director General and Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Youth & Sports, to request the suspension of Khadijo Aden Dahir, Somali Athletics Federation’s chairwoman.
The Ministry of Youth and Sports accused Dahir of engaging “in acts of abuse of power, nepotism and defaming the name of the nation in [an] international arena” by recruiting the non-athlete, who is reportedly her niece, to run the race.
“The Ministry of Youth and Sports 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,” the email read.
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The FISU World University Games gather thousands of student-athletes from all over the world. And it’s the world’s largest and most prestigious multi-sport event.
Surprisingly, there’s little to do to enter the competition. It’s mainly making many deposits, meeting the age requirement (at least 18 and no older than 25), showing up early and willingly competing. As the games progress, those who take the highest rankings will continue.
Those required to have experience are the officials or judges.