The chairwoman of Somalia’s athletics federation has been suspended amid claims the untrained female runner who clocked an embarrassingly slow 100m sprint time at a recent event is her niece. 

Somalia’s Ministry of Youth and Sports accused Khadija Aden Dahir of ‘abuse of power’ and ‘nepotism’ after Nasra Abubakar Ali posted a time of nearly 22 seconds over 100m at the International University Sports Federation (FISU) World University Games in Chengdu, China, on Monday. 

Ali’s time was over 10 seconds slower than her fellow competitors, and footage of her performance – which showed how she skipped over the line – incited a torrent of criticism on social media.

Somali Sports Minister Mohamed Barre Mohamud declared an investigation into Ali’s selection had been launched and said Dahir has ‘engaged in acts of abuse of power, nepotism, and defaming the name of the nation’.

The minister subsequently ordered his nation’s Olympic Committee to suspend Dahir from her post, after disgruntled social media users claimed Ali is the chairwoman’s niece and unearthed a Facebook post in which the athletics federation official appeared to congratulate Ali on her graduation.

Nasra Abubakar Ali from Somalia (left) clocked the ‘slowest-ever’ 100metres time at the World University Games in Chengdu, China 

Nasra Ali Abukar crossed the finish line alone having clocked a sluggish 21.81 second time

Somalia’s Ministry of Youth and Sports accused Khadija Aden Dahir (pictured) of ‘abuse of power’

Somali social media user Elham Garaad shared this Facebook post from the chairwoman’s profile that appeared to show her congratulating Ali on her graduation

In her 100m sprint heat on Monday, Ali ran the distance in 21.81 seconds, some 10 seconds behind the leaders. 

The untrained 20-year-old was not even in the frame as the rest of the field crossed the line.

Mohamud said an investigation conducted with Somalia’s National Olympic Committee revealed Ali was neither a sportsperson, nor a runner.

He also revealed that investigators had discovered that there was no registered Somali University Sports Association, suggesting documents had been falsified to allow Ali to compete at the Games in Chengdu. 

‘The Ministry… firmly declares its intention to pursue legal action against both the Chairman of the Athletics Federation of Somalia and individuals responsible for the falsification of the Somali University Sports Association,’ a statement read. 

The Ministry also published a signed and stamped document on its social media feed showing the findings of the investigation and recommending Dahar’s removal as chairwoman of the nation’s athletics federation. 

Questions were asked on social media as to why Somalia sent such an underprepared athlete to a major international event

‘The Ministry… firmly declares its intention to pursue legal action against both the Chairman of the Athletics Federation of Somalia and individuals responsible for the falsification of the Somali University Sports Association,’ a statement read

There were calls for those responsible for sending the athlete to the event to stand down

It was also claimed that Abukar was the niece of Somalia’s athletics federation president

Elham Garaad, who posted the viral video of Ali’s woeful performance on Twitter, wrote: ‘The Ministry of Youth and Sports should step down. It’s disheartening to witness such an incompetent government.

‘How could they select an untrained girl to represent Somalia in running? It’s truly shocking and reflects poorly on our country internationally.’

In a follow-up tweet, Garaad said: ‘That’s the niece of the President of the Somali Athletics Federation. What [are] you expecting?

‘Nepotism; we have good athletes in Somalia but when it comes to [money emoji] is a different story.’

She also posted a screengrab of a Facebook post from Dahir congratulating her niece on being selected for the University Games. 

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NHS patients are developing cancer while waiting to be treated, Britain’s leading GP has warned. 

Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chair of the Royal College of GPs, claimed huge delays in receiving hospital care also means Brits are left being in so much agony they can’t  even climb stairs.

She wants the ailing health service to adopt an Amazon-style system so patients can track exactly where they are on the record waiting list. 

Implementing such a system would reassure patients who are ‘anxious, worried and frustrated’, Professor Hawthorne said. 

NHS data shows there were an agonising 7.22million patients in England queuing for routine procedures in February, nearly 3m more than pre-Covid levels. 

Speaking to The Guardian, Professor Kamila Hawthorne (pictured) claimed these patients include those with potential signs of cancer, heart problems or those waiting for hip or knee replacements, all of whom GPs have referred urgently.

Latest NHS data shows there were an agonising 7.21million patients queuing for operations — nearly 3m more than pre-Covid levels. Professor Kamila Hawthorne, who represents 54,000 GPs in the UK, said the delays were leaving patients feeling ‘helpless and forgotten’

These patients include those with potential signs of cancer, heart problems or those waiting for hip or knee replacements. 

Speaking to The Guardian, Professor Hawthorne, said patients were witnessing their health deteriorate as a direct result of the delays in hospital care — which they were referred for.

Professor Hawthorne, who represents 54,000 GPs, revealed the queues were leaving patients feeling ‘helpless and forgotten’. 

She said: ‘Patients getting sicker while they are on the waiting list is something GPs see and worry about, because the risk to the patient is so much greater. 

‘It’s inevitable some people stuck will get sicker, because that’s the nature of illness.

‘It could be someone awaiting a hip or knee replacement. They come and see you and say, ‘it’s been three months and I’ve heard nothing’. 

‘Often the waiting times for orthopaedics can be a year or two, so you know that it’s going to take ages.’ 

She added: ‘Then they’ll tell you their toilet is upstairs, and in order to get up there they’re having to crawl. 

‘Or it could be that their hip or knee pain is coming to the point where they can’t sleep at night. That’s the kind of thing we hear.’

Professor Hawthorne added that a tracker system — similar to ones used by online retailers once goods have been shipped — would ‘help patients understand’ where they are on the list.

She said the NHS would adopt such a system in an ‘ideal world’. 

It comes as damning data released last month revealed suspected cancer patients face a wait of up to two years for a diagnosis and a year to start treatment. 

At the time, charities warned the ‘unacceptable’ delays could give tumours time to spread, slash survival chances and make treatment more expensive. 

Under NHS guidelines, patients should be seen within 18 weeks once referred to a specialist.  

But this treatment target has not been met since 2016. 

Tomorrow the government will publish its primary care recovery plan, designed to tackle the dire access issue surrounding GPs. 

Ministers have already announced GP practices will be given £240million for new phone systems so patients no longer face engaged tones or lengthy waits during the 8am scramble for appointments.

Receptionists will also receive more training to direct callers to the medic best suited to their needs.

It comes after surveys revealed public satisfaction with GPs has hit an all-time low, with patients particularly frustrated by difficulties accessing a doctor and getting through on the phone.

An average-sized practice of 10,000 patients often receives more than 100 calls in the first hour every Monday but many patients could be seen by someone other than a family doctor.