Somalia at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Encyclopedia
Despite having no functioning central government, Somalia
sent two athletes to the 2004 Summer Olympics
in Athens
, Greece
. Since the civil war that broke out in the early 1990s, the Somali Olympic Committee has been supported by various factions centered on the capital of Mogadishu
. The autonomous northwestern Somaliland
region of Somalia maintains its own Olympic committee, but it has not been recognized by the IOC.
Somalia's two athletes were Fartun Abukar Omar
, who finished last in her qualifying heat in the women's 100 meter sprint and Abdulla Mohamed Hussein who finished with the slowest time of all runners in the qualifying for the men's 400 meters. Many Somali's also followed the progress of American runner Abdihakem Abdirahman
who was born in Somalia but left that country at age 13. He finished twelfth in the 10,000 metre race.
The Somali participation was also marked by controversy when the IOC banned Farah W. Addo, the president of the Somali Olympic Committee from attending the game. Addo had earlier been expelled from FIFA
for embezzling millions of dollars meant to go the Somali soccer program. After complaints from FIFA the IOC elected to ban Addo.
Athletics
Men's 400 metres
:
Women's 100 metres
:
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
sent two athletes to the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. Since the civil war that broke out in the early 1990s, the Somali Olympic Committee has been supported by various factions centered on the capital of Mogadishu
Mogadishu
Mogadishu , popularly known as Xamar, is the largest city in Somalia and the nation's capital. Located in the coastal Benadir region on the Indian Ocean, the city has served as an important port for centuries....
. The autonomous northwestern Somaliland
Somaliland
Somaliland is an unrecognised self-declared sovereign state that is internationally recognised as an autonomous region of Somalia. The government of Somaliland regards itself as the successor state to the British Somaliland protectorate, which was independent for a few days in 1960 as the State of...
region of Somalia maintains its own Olympic committee, but it has not been recognized by the IOC.
Somalia's two athletes were Fartun Abukar Omar
Fartun Abukar Omar
Fartun Abukar Omar is a Somali athlete. She represented Somalia at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, despite her country having been without a government for thirteen years at that time. She took part in the women's 100 metres race, and finished last in her heat, nonetheless achieving a personal...
, who finished last in her qualifying heat in the women's 100 meter sprint and Abdulla Mohamed Hussein who finished with the slowest time of all runners in the qualifying for the men's 400 meters. Many Somali's also followed the progress of American runner Abdihakem Abdirahman
Abdihakem Abdirahman
Abdihakem Abdirahman is a Somali-American long-distance runner who specializes in the 10,000 metres.-Biography:...
who was born in Somalia but left that country at age 13. He finished twelfth in the 10,000 metre race.
The Somali participation was also marked by controversy when the IOC banned Farah W. Addo, the president of the Somali Olympic Committee from attending the game. Addo had earlier been expelled from FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
for embezzling millions of dollars meant to go the Somali soccer program. After complaints from FIFA the IOC elected to ban Addo.
AthleticsAthletics at the 2004 Summer OlympicsAt the 2004 Summer Olympics, the athletics events were held at the Athens Olympic Stadium from August 18 to August 29, except for the marathons , the race walks , and the shot put...
Men's 400 metresAthletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Men's 400 metres
-Qualification:The qualification period for Athletics was 1 January 2003 to 9 August 2004. For the men's 400 metres, each National Olympic Committee was permitted to enter up to three athletes that had run the race in 45.55 seconds or faster during the qualification period...
:
- Abdulla Mohamed Hussein
- Round 1: 51.52 s (8th in heat 2, did not advance, 60th overall)
Women's 100 metres
Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Women's 100 metres
The Women's 100 m at the 2004 Summer Olympics as part of the athletics program were held at the Athens Olympic Stadium on August 20, 2004 and August 21, 2004.-Records:...
:
- Fartun Abukar OmarFartun Abukar OmarFartun Abukar Omar is a Somali athlete. She represented Somalia at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, despite her country having been without a government for thirteen years at that time. She took part in the women's 100 metres race, and finished last in her heat, nonetheless achieving a personal...
- Round 1, 14.29 s (8th in heat 6, did not advance, 63rd overall) (Personal Best)