Somalia's Minister of Youth and Sports issued an apology Wednesday after a female runner representing the country finished well behind the rest of the pack in the 100-meter dash at the 2023 FISU World University Games in China.
According to the Associated Press, Minister Mohamed Barre Mohamud called 20-year-old Nasra Abukar Ali's performance an embarrassment to the country. Abukar not only came in last place in her qualifying race—about 10 seconds after the winner—but also did a little skip as she crossed the finish line.
Somalia's Ministry of Youth and Sports has suspended national athletics chairwoman Khadija Adan Dahir over allegations that Nasra Abukar was able to compete in the race because the two are related.
Somalia encountered a similar situation when Maryan Nuh Muse finished last in the 400-meter race in the 2016 Olympics, as reported by the Washington Post. However, Muse was considered an "inspiration" for training under incredibly poor conditions leading up to the competition.
According to the Independent, Muse ran on a gravel track and trained inside a stadium that was once used by a terrorist group for executions.
