# Sport in Somalia: football, running and the Somalis who won the world > Sport in Somalia: Abdi Bile's 1987 world title, Mo Farah, the Ocean Stars football team, the reopening of Mogadishu Stadium, and athletes of the diaspora. Source page: https://calankii.com/en/society/sport-in-somalia/ Last checked: 2026-11-12 Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com) ## Running: Abdi Bile, world champion **Abdi Bile** was born in Laascaanood on 28 December 1962. On 6 September 1987, at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, he won the 1,500 metres at the World Championships in 3:36.80. He ran the last 800 metres in 1:46.8, beating the defending champion Steve Cram, who finished eighth ([Simon Turnbull, World Athletics Heritage, 2022](https://worldathletics.org/heritage/news/abdi-bile-rome-1500m-mowa-donation)). He also won bronze at the 1993 World Championships, beat Sebastian Coe at the 1989 World Cup, and set Somali records at nine distances. Injury kept him out of the 1988 and 1992 Olympics. His Rome singlet now hangs in the Museum of World Athletics in Oregon ([same](https://worldathletics.org/heritage/news/abdi-bile-rome-1500m-mowa-donation); [official 1987 results](https://worldathletics.org/results/world-athletics-championships/1987/2nd-iaaf-world-championships-in-athletics-4/men/1500-metres/final/result)). ## Mo Farah: the most decorated Somali-born athlete **[Mo Farah](/en/people/mo-farah/)** won four Olympic gold medals for Great Britain, at 5,000 and 10,000 metres in both 2012 and 2016 ([Britannica](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mo-Farah)). In a 2022 BBC documentary he revealed that he was born in [Somaliland](/en/states/somaliland-1991-to-2026/) as Hussein Abdi Kahin. He said he was brought to the UK illegally at about nine to work as a servant ([NPR, 12 July 2022](https://laist.com/news/npr-news/mo-farah-says-he-was-trafficked-to-the-u-k-and-forced-into-child-labor); [Athletics Weekly](https://athleticsweekly.com/news/mo-farah-i-was-smuggled-into-uk-and-this-isnt-my-real-name-1039958323/)). Many Somali-born runners now compete for other countries. Somalia has not yet won an Olympic medal ([Somalia at the Olympics, Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somalia_at_the_Olympics)). ## Samia Yusuf Omar At 16, the sprinter **[Samia Yusuf Omar](/en/people/samia-yusuf-omar/)** ran for Somalia at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She had trained in Mogadishu Stadium and around the city. After the Games she faced threats at home ([Somalia at the Olympics, Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somalia_at_the_Olympics)). ## Football: the Ocean Stars Football is played in every Somali town, and the national team is called the Ocean Stars. - **Home in exile.** Somalia's last home international was against Mauritius in Mogadishu in 1988. For decades the team played "home" games in Djibouti ([Inside World Football](https://insideworldfootball.com/?p=110855)). - **First qualifier win.** On 5 September 2019, in Djibouti, Somalia beat Zimbabwe 1–0 for its first-ever World Cup qualifying win. Anwar Sidali scored late in the game. Somalia was ranked 202nd in the world, Zimbabwe 112th ([Anadolu Agency](https://aa.com.tr/en/africa/somalia-wins-first-ever-football-world-cup-qualifier/1574332); [Garowe Online](https://www.garoweonline.com/en/news/sports/somalia-win-first-ever-world-cup-qualifier)). - **The stadium returns.** Mogadishu Stadium had been occupied by various forces and left in disrepair for much of two decades. It reopened for football on 30 June 2020: Horseed beat Mogadishu City Club 2–1 ([FIFA, 1 July 2020](https://ipt.fifa.com/news/joyous-return-for-stadium-mogadishu-after-16-year-wait)). - **Legends visit.** In 2025, former African stars including Samuel Eto'o and Jay-Jay Okocha played an exhibition match in Mogadishu ([Geeska](https://www.geeska.com/en/historic-and-hopeful-etoo-okocha-and-adebayor-mogadishu)). The [Somali Premier League](/en/society/somali-first-division/) plays in Mogadishu. FIFA has also funded the rebuilding of Waamo Stadium in Kismayo ([FIFA, 2020](https://ipt.fifa.com/news/joyous-return-for-stadium-mogadishu-after-16-year-wait)). --- I want to help with this: email hello@calankii.com. Fix this page: email hello@calankii.com with the page link and your source.