Dylan Bettencourt
Arguably the greatest athlete from Britain, Sir Mo Farah has revealed that he was forced to create a different identity in order to protect himself after being trafficked and abused as a child.
In a documentary titled The Real Mo Farah, set to be aired on Wednesday, the athlete reveals that he was illegally smuggled into London in the 1990s due to the war in Somalia and treated like a slave.
The four-time Olympic champion rose to stardom when he claimed gold at the 2012 London Olympics.
Farah had previously disclosed that he was born in Somalia, explaining that he arrived in England with his father at the age of eight.
Farah’s real name is revealed to be Huseein Abdi Kahin.
Following his arrival, the 39-year-old lived with a married couple who he accused of treating him like a slave.
Farah’s real father fled the civil war in Somalia with his mother sending him to Djibouti, which borders Somalia, in an attempt to escape the conflict.
It is there where the long-distance runner stayed with an uncle and was later trafficked at the age of nine.
Farah explained that he felt it was the right time to reveal the truth that he had been hiding his entire life.
“I don’t think I was ready to say anything. Not because you want to lie, but because you’re protecting yourself,” he said.
“You only realise later it’s okay to let things out and say what happened.”
The documentary about the man knighted by the Queen in 2017 was filmed over two years.
Lawyers were said to have told Farah his British citizenship could be revoked due to false representations that were made on his application.
But the England Home Office said his immigration status would remain as is despite the revelations.
“No action whatsoever will be taken against Sir Mo and to suggest otherwise is wrong,” a Home Office spokesperson said.
Image source: @NewYorkTimes
