The Minister of Youth and Sports of Somalia, Mohamed Barre Mohamoud, who held a press conference for journalists, spoke about the failure of Somalia in the running competition held in China.
The controversy centers around Nasra Abukar, a 20-year-old with limited running experience, who finished last in the 100-meter race, provoking criticism, particularly from Somalis worldwide.
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The minister initially denied that the ministry had any role in the selection of the female representative of Somalia in the competition named Nasra Abukar Ali.
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Barre revealed that the competition was not at the national level, but among the universities of the world, and this girl was not selected by the ministry, but was only notified when she was leaving, placing the blame on the contact who sent her.
He also emphasized that this girl was from one of the universities in Mogadishu, and that’s how she got picked.
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“How she went or how she was selected was not something that the ministry knew,” said the minister of youth and sports of the Somali government.
He also added that the ministry is very sorry, and apologizes to the community, for what happened & the big failure that has happened to Somalia.
“What happened today was not appropriate for the Somali people, we are really sorry as a ministry, and we apologize to the community,” he continued.
The Minister of Youth and Sports further mentioned that they are taking action on this issue and are investigating, as Nasra was selected.
“It was a very ugly thing that the name of the Somali race and the flag was placed in an inappropriate place for the girl who participated in the race. We will investigate how they were selected,” Minister Mohamed Barre Mohamoud said again.
This statement comes as a result of the strong discussion caused by the participation of this girl who took the last place in the race, and many people have questioned the structure and that they are not prepared for such a competition.