Why Abdi Bile wasn't Somalia's flag bearer at the Olympics?

[MoonLight1]

 

The Somali National Olympic committee president Duran Ahmed Farah said on Sunday that the presence of Somalia’s 1987 1500M world champion Abdi Bile Abdi at the London 2012 Olympic Games was a great honor for the entire Somali community, although he wasn’t the flag bearer due LOCOG insisting that athlete ZamZam Mohamed Farah takes the flag.

 

“Somali NOC had already invited Abdi Bile to come to London to be the flag bearer, because it is a good image enhancement and publicity for all of us that the country’s once world champion is with us during the games—we are very grateful to him for accepting our invitation” the Somali NOC president Duran Ahmed Farah said in his Sunday’s press statement.

 

“We several times told in the media that Abdi Bile will be Somalia’s flag bearer during the opening ceremony and we were happy with that, but unfortunately something changed in the last minutes of the opening day” the press statement added.

 

The statement said that all participating countries were told by the LOCOG to announce their flag bearers before July 25 deadline and Somalia informed the IOC that Abdi Bile Abdi was Somalia’s flag bearer before the deadline ends.

 

“It was really an unfortunate experience when the IOC’s office at the Olympic village informed our head of the delegation Omar Baarajab that Abdi Bile Abdi will not be Somalia’s flag bearer and instead the female athlete will be—we tried to negotiate on the matter but they insisted that it was an IOC decision that ZamZam will be the flag bearer and finally we were obliged to accept because it is the IOC who is administering the world event” president Duran Ahmed Farah emphasized in his press statement Sunday.

 

“I myself went to the scene and discussed the matter with the IOC’s dignitaries but it wasn’t possible for us to succeed in our ambition—the IOC insisted that if we don’t accept what they want our flag will be carried by one of the volunteers “the president said adding that like any other participating country Somalia accepted the list of flag bearers issued by the LOCOG.

 

The Somali NOC presidential statement noted that veteran Abdi Bile, the once 1500M world champion was happy with how something went place and he was lonely next to the female flag bearer as the experienced leader of the Somali group.

 

By Shafi’i Mohyaddin Abokar

[MoonLight1]

it seems the Somali NOC (National Olympics Committee) messed up things and are desperately trying to blame the organizers. Shame this hero wasn't honored.

[Macallinka]

I was gutted to see him not carrying the flag . What a shame!

[Che -Guevara]

It was appropriate for the current athletes to carry the flag and I am glad it was the girl carrying it.

[Mooge]

Was it based on Qabiil?

[Macallinka]

^ Don't go there Mooge , but would like to know why the IOC and Locog decided to do such thing at the last minute?

[MoonLight1]

Che -Guevara;853397 wrote:

It was appropriate for the current athletes to carry the flag and I am glad it was the girl carrying it.

Che, I understand the young athletes deserve a chance, but they have plenty of time ahead of them and can qualify for the next few Olympics if they do well, but our national heroes and legends deserve an honor, seeing Gabrisalase being honored to carry the Olympics flag was a good example, UK honored its sports heroes such as David Beckham, Steve Redgrave and many more by crying the torch, so it was the least from us (Somalis) to honor the only athlete who won gold for the country and say "Thank you" to him.

[Somalia]

Mooge;853398 wrote:

Was it based on Qabiil?

These people are insinuating this but don't want to go the full way.

[MoonLight1]

Somalia;853401 wrote:

These people are insinuating this but don't want to go the full way.

What are you talking about???

 

don't you know the two people above are from the same Qabiil? Mr Somalia I thought you were smarter than this filth.

[Che -Guevara]

There will be another Olympics!

[Somalia]

Man I don't know which qabiil they are all from, I don't even know what's the issue, I thought you guys were asking this question due to rumours in the community that a certain qabiil has monopoly over Sports affairs in Somalia such as the football team and now the Olympics and then Abdi Bile was a victim of this.

[Nin-Yaaban]

Che -Guevara;853397 wrote:

It was appropriate for the current athletes to carry the flag and I am glad it was the girl carrying it.

+1

[Yunis]

 

“Somali NOC had already invited Abdi Bile to come to London to be the flag bearer, because it is a good image enhancement and publicity for all of us that the country’s once world champion is with us during the games—we are very grateful to him for accepting our invitation” the Somali NOC president Duran Ahmed Farah said in his Sunday’s press statement.

 

Without taking anything away from Zamzam, cause she was great. Yet, this smells like a Duck.

 

For weeks the Somali NOC paraded the guy in London, all of sudden they seem to buckled under pressure, one wonders? Just goes to show you the level of nepotism in administering anything fairly even in international sports , which we are expected finish dead last. For years Somali athletics programs have been used as NGO cash proxy by handful, the NOC group is sham.

[MoonLight1]

Somalia;853405 wrote:

Man I don't know which qabiil they are all from, I don't even know what's the issue,.

Then you should know what your talking about before you poison the atmosphere especially since we are in the holy month of Ramadan and one should consider about his/her words with caution. We just raised this issue to criticize the Somali NOC on professional point of view, not Qabiil or Reer.

 

Naseexo: A man crying the great name of "Somalia" and his avatar being the great name of prophet "Muxammad" PBUH, should work on bringing people together.[/b]

[Somalia]

MoonLight1;853411 wrote:

Then you should know what your talking about before you poison the atmosphere

especially

since

we are in the holy month of Ramadan

I am pretty sure this thread was poisoned BEFORE I entered. Go back and see the replies, if you act more holy than usual on Ramadan then you are nothing more than a munaafiq.