MOGADISHU (KAAB TV) – When 27-year-old Somali athlete Maryan Nuh Muse decided to quit sports shortly after competing successfully in the 2016 Summer Olympics, she knew the dangers ahead. With a time of 1:10.14 in the women’s 400 metres heats, her decision was not due to lack of talent but the imminent threat from Al-Shabaab against women in sports.
In April 2012, Al-Shabaab carried out a suicide bombing at the Mogadishu Theatre, killing at least ten people, including the President of the Somali Olympic Committee, Aden Yabarow Wiish, and the Somali Football Federation chief, Said Mohamed Nur. Dozens more were injured. This incident underscored the severe risks faced by anyone involved in Somali sports.
In August 2012, Samia Yusuf Omar, a talented 17-year-old Somali athlete who competed with honor in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and participated in the 2012 London Summer Olympics, tragically drowned while attempting to reach Europe in a dangerous sea journey.
Her death highlighted the perilous options available to Somali athletes running from extremist group’s pressure.
‘Harder and riskier’
Two years after Samia’s death and Maryan’s decision to quit sports, Al-Shabaab imposed a total ban on women participating in sports, threatening those who defied with death.
The group also instructed journalists and media houses to cease coverage of women’s sports and warned stadium and playing field managers against allowing women to play or train.
Despite these threats, 28-year-old Fahmo Kulle Ali chose to contribute to improving women’s sports in Somalia. She took up a managerial role in the Somali Football Federation.
“Being a woman is a challenging task in Somalia, and when it comes to sports, it is even harder and riskier,” she said.
After completing her accounting studies at a local university, Fahmo began volunteering with the federation in 2010, where she worked to improve financial accounting and management.
Her dedication soon earned her a place on the executive committee of the Somali Football Federation.
“Threats did not stop me. Despite pressure and warnings from family and friends about the risks, I was committed to moving ahead,” Fahmo added.
No female athletes for the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics
The impact of Samia Yusuf Omar’s death and Maryan Nuh Muse’s decision to quit sports has been enormous. In August 2023, Somalia faced public embarrassment when an untrained young woman, Nasra Abukar Ali, ran a painfully slow race at the World University Games in China.
The 2024 Summer Olympics, set to be held in Paris from July 26 to August 11, will feature 329 events in 32 sports with 10,672 athletes from 196 nations. However, only one male athlete from Somalia will participate, with no female athletes representing the country.
Somalia’s Olympic participation is marred by corruption, nepotism, and the pressure of Al-Shabaab, which banned women from participating in sports in 2018, forcing many talented women to quit.
Senior Somali sports journalist Mohamed Abdi Muudey remarked on the severe impact of Al-Shabaab’s ban and massive corruption on sports in Somalia.
“It is sad to see that no single Somali woman athlete will be in the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. This is not something that just started. The Al-Shabaab ban is a serious challenge. Women are fearful for their safety. There are no stadiums for them to train in,” said Muudey, who has covered sports for the past 15 years.
Muudey himself has been threatened by the terror group due to his role as a sports journalist and organizer of women’s sports.
“The threat to women in sports still persists, and the corrupt government cannot do anything to protect them. It is a bleak future,” he stated.
But that is not the only problem. According to Muudey, much more needs to be done to change societal attitudes. He describes the cultural taboo against women appearing in public dressed in shorts, trousers, or T-shirts as a significant obstacle.
“Women like Fahmo and others will only feel safe if they receive the protection they need. This protection is impossible if the societal taboo around women’s sports attire is not eliminated,” Muudey noted.