Somalia's London 2012 hopefuls battle the odds
Jamal Osman describes the difficulties facing sporting officials and Olympic hopefuls in a country where athletes could be shot at any time by rebels or security forces.
For most of National Olympic committees around the world, selecting the sportsmen/women to represent their country is a straightforward decision: the best athletes are chosen, reports Somali journalist Jamal Osman.
But Somali Olympic organisers are in a difficult situation. They fear that if they choose an athlete now, he/she may not survive to make it to the London Games.
“Unlike our counterparts in other parts of the world, we are facing a huge dilemma,” said Abdullahi Mohamed Saneey, one of the organisers. “We’ve put forward few names but cannot confirm yet because we are not sure who’s going to be alive by July.”
Worse, the Somali sport federations are able to enter only two contestants. Somali athletes have not reached the Olympic qualification times so the nation is granted wild cards. Countries which fail to produce athletes able to meet performance requirements to compete are allowed to send two competitors.
Last week, the Somali sports community lost two top officials, who were hoping to come to London Games. Aden Yabarow, the President of the Somali Olympic Committee, and the head of Somali Football Federation, Said Mohamed Nur were killed in an attack in Mogadishu, Somalia.
Al-Shabaab, an Islamist group fighting against African Union troops and Somali government soldiers, has claimed responsibility for the bombing, which occurred at a newly re-opened national theatre.
I have seen the danger of living in Mogadishu to train for the Olympics. Last year, I travelled to Mogadishu to film the athletes who run daily along the “road of death” through the city, aware that at any time they could be shot by rebel gunmen or nervous security forces.
“The conflict between militiamen loyal to al-Shabaab and those loyal to the government is causing a problem,” said Abninasir Ibrahim, in a masterly piece of under-statement. “Both groups are Somalis and I would love them to be united to save future generations.”
Abdinasir, a 5,000 metre runner who competed in the Beijing Olympics, is still training hard but, more importantly, as he told me last year, he has to remain alive to have a chance:
“If all goes well, I would like to come to London, carrying the whole Somali nation on my shoulders.”
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