By John Essien
Somalian-born athlete and four-times Olympic champion Mo Farah has revealed that he was illegally trafficked as a child to Britain and was forced to withhold his real identity.
The running legend, whose real name is Hussein Abdi Kahin, claimed he decided to keep his assumed identity over fears he could be stripped of his British citizenship for giving false details in his application.
He had previously said he came to the UK as a refugee from Somalia with his parents.
However, in a stunning revelation, Farah disclosed in a UK BBC TV documentary “The Real Mo Farah” that his parents have never been to Britain.
His father was killed in civil unrest in Somalia when Farah was four years old and his mother, Aisha, and two brothers live in the breakaway state of Somaliland, which is not internationally recognised.
“The truth is I’m not who you think I am,” says Farah.
“Most people know me as Mo Farah, but it’s not my name or it’s not the reality.”
Before now, the 2012 Olympics legend, knighted five years ago, had always insisted his father was an IT consultant called Muktar who was born and brought up in London.
He claimed his dad then moved to Mogadishu and met his mother before returning to the UK.
However, his father was actually a farmer called Abdi who was killed in the conflict when Farah was four. His mother Aisha later sent him to neighbouring Djibouti for his safety.
Farah revealed that he was illegally trafficked to the UK through a mystery woman who had told him to say his name was Mohamed as she had fake travel documents that showed his photo next to the name “Mohamed Farah”.
The married father of three said his children motivated him to tell the truth about his past.
“That’s the main reason in telling my story because I want to feel normal and don’t feel like you’re holding on to something.”
The hardest thing is admitting to myself that someone from my own family may have been involved in trafficking me.”
Farah became the first British athlete to win two gold medals at the same world championships in 2013, with his five gold medals at the European Athletics Championships making him the most successful athlete in individual events in the championships’ history.
He has won several awards, including the European Athlete of the Year award and the British Athletics Writers Association British Athlete of the Year award more than any other athlete, three times and six times respectively.
