Nasra Ali Abukar

Nasra Ali Abukar (; born September 15, 2004) is a Somali university student known for her participation in the 100-meter race at the XXXI FISU World University Games in Chengdu, China, in 2023, where she came last. Her remarkably poor result and perceived lack of athleticism caused international outrage and accusations of nepotism when she was found out to have family ties with the chair of the Somali Athletics Committee.

XXXI FISU World University Games

Ali Abukar's mother is Deka Aden Dahir, whose sister Asha Aden Dahir held the position of deputy head of delegation for Somalia at the XXXI FISU World University Games and is also a doctor at Banadir Hospital, while her other sister Khadija Aden Dahir chaired the Somali Athletics Federation.

On July 26, 2023, during a press release, Ali Abukar stated, "Today, I am very happy to represent Somalia as a runner for the ", before heading to the games.

In the video of the race, Ali Abukar can be seen lagging behind the rest of the field as the athletes sprint to the finishing line. She ultimately finished the distance in 21.81 seconds, approximately 10 seconds behind the leader's 11.4.

It has been noted that the qualifying standard for the U.S. women's Olympic 100 m team is 11.15 seconds, and the slowest recorded time in the women's 100 m at the 2020 Olympics was 15.26 seconds, which is more than six seconds faster than Ali Abukar's time. Some international media sources have claimed that her finish time set a "record for the slowest finish" in the history of women's 100 m. However, due to the lack of historical data, it is not possible to determine whether this is true.

Questions were raised on social media about the validity of her inclusion in the team, which was claimed to be linked to Ali Abukar being the niece of Somali Athletics Federation President Abdullahi Ahmed Tarabi and of Khadija Adan Dahir, chair of the athletics committee. This led to allegations of nepotism and financial irregularities, Adan Dahir told BBC Somali that Ali Abukar had undergone rigorous training to prepare for participation in the last two years. However, Ali Abukar declared that she had only been training for one month.

Aftermath

Response

The Somali Athletics Committee issued an apology regarding the contentious selection of the athlete. Somali Minister of Sports Mohamed Barre also apologized over the incident, claiming that his ministry was not aware Ali Abukar had been selected to compete at the games, and expressed his concern, stating that it was a "misrepresentation and embarrassment" for the country.

On August 3, 2023, Ali Abukar responded to criticism from fellow nationals labeling her "the worst athlete in international games", stating, "Somalis deserve to be represented in a running competition; I ran with a sprained leg, […] but I still managed to finish the run."

Suspension and investigation Mohamed Barre vowed to conduct a thorough investigation into the selection process that resulted in Ali Abukar being chosen. On August 2, 2023, The Olympic committee implemented an order by the minister to suspend Khadija Aden Dahir from her position for "abuse of power, nepotism, and defaming the name of the nation".