Sir Mo Farah reveals he was trafficked into the country as a child

Danny Jones

The sporting legend has revealed his true story

Olympic legend Sir Mo Farah has revealed that he was smuggled into the country as a child.

The long-distance runner has delivered the revelation to the BBC in a new documentary entitled, The Real Mo Farah, in which he explains his real is Hussein Abdi Kahin and he is from Somaliland.

Aged nine at the time, he was flown over illegally from Djibouti by a woman he had never met and took the name of another child called Mohamed Farah, before being made to look after another family’s children.

Olympic gold medalist Sir Mo Farah has revealed he was trafficked to the UK as a child, given a new name and forced to work a domestic servant

His real name is Hussein Abdi Kahinhttps://t.co/wN01Xd74nM pic.twitter.com/LEvN9pbcmW

— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) July 11, 2022

The gold-medal-winning and record-holding British track athlete has previously said he came to the UK from Somalia with his parents as a refugee but, in reality, his parents have never spent any time here; his mother and two brothers still live on their family farm in the breakaway state of Somaliland.

His father, Abdi, was killed by stray gunfire amid the civil violence in Somalia when Sir Mo was just four years old. The region of Somaliland declared independence in 1991 but is not internationally recognised.

The woman who helped traffic him to the UK told him he was being taken to Europe to live with relatives there, telling him to say his name was Mohamed and using fake travel documents that showed his photo next to the name “Mohamed Farah”.

The Real Mo Farah

When they arrived in Britain, Mo says the woman took him to her flat in Hounslow, west London, and took a piece of paper off him that had his so-called relatives’ contact details.

“Right in front of me, she ripped it up and put it in the bin. At that moment, I knew I was in trouble,” he says, ultimately being made to do housework and childcare “if [he] wanted food in [his] mouth”, the woman adding: “If you ever want to see your family again, don’t say anything.”

“For years I just kept blocking it out,” the Team GB athlete says, “but you can only block it out for so long”, confessing that he would regularly lock himself in the bathroom and cry.

Reacting to the news, many online have declared that his origins, real identity and means of arriving in the country are of little consequence to them – he is a national hero all the same:

Whether he’s Sir Mo Farah or Hussein Abdi Kahin he’s a hero. pic.twitter.com/dMGiZBJaQI

— David Baddiel (@Baddiel) July 11, 2022

Moreover, others have quickly pointed out that Farah – a.k.a. Hussein Abdi Kahin – would have simply been deported under the UK government’s current Rwanda scheme, which ships those fleeing famine and war-torn territories thousands of miles away.

As many were quick to note, his sporting achievements, reputation and legacy mean will now mean he enjoys a level of protection, but sadly most refugees and asylum seekers will not be afforded the same exception to the rule.

I doubt I could be more proud of what Sir Mo Farah has achieved but then you hear he was trafficked as a child & forced to work
He would, of course, be prosecuted under this Govt, but let them try https://t.co/gu4ceKWo7d

— nazir afzal (@nazirafzal) July 11, 2022

Journalist Pippa Crerar confirmed that the Home Office has already clarified it will not be taken any action against the Olympian even despite his confession.

People are now calling out the British government over its hypocrisy and cruelty, noting that if Farah were like any other migrant arriving in the country, he would have been deported under the new resettlement programme; or, alternatively, were he to have been smuggled into the UK now, he would have had his opportunity to become a British Olympic hero snatched away.

Oh, I thought the Tories would ship him off to Rwanda
Or does it not apply to World record holding Knights of the Realm?
Good job he got all that before they found out!

— David Cussans (@cussans2) July 11, 2022

If he was rubbish, he'd be an illegal immigrant stealing our jobs.

Because he's superb, he's an example of British excellence.

It's the same boy. Fleeing the same dangers.https://t.co/nYD6eaxSna

— Dr Dan Goyal (@danielgoyal) July 11, 2022

You can watch The Real Mo Farah on BBC One at 21:00 BST or on BBC iPlayer at 06:00 GMT on Wednesday, July 13, and find out more about his early life and journey to become a sporting hero.

You can see the trailer for the full documentary here: