Mogadishu, Somalia – As the curtain falls on the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on September 21, Somalia has once again missed the global stage, with no athletes representing the nation in any of the events.
The absence marks another lost opportunity for Somali athletics, a country with a rich history of long-distance running but one that continues to struggle with infrastructure gaps, inadequate investment, and instability that hampers sports development. While neighboring Kenya and Ethiopia have celebrated medal victories, Somalia’s absence underscores the widening gulf in regional athletics competitiveness.
Sports analysts point to several factors behind the no-show. The Somali Athletics Federation has long faced difficulties in identifying and supporting talent due to a lack of training facilities, limited financial resources, and the ongoing impact of insecurity. Promising athletes are often forced to seek opportunities abroad, with some representing other nations after acquiring new citizenships.
The Tokyo championships, which brought together over 200 nations and thousands of athletes, highlighted not only elite performance but also the importance of national presence in the global sporting arena. For Somalia, the absence reinforces the urgent need for government institutions, the private sector, and international partners to collaborate on reviving athletics.
Somali sports officials have previously pledged reforms, including the rehabilitation of Mogadishu Stadium and the launch of youth athletics programs, but progress remains slow. With the next World Athletics Championships scheduled for 2027 in Beijing, there is growing pressure on Somali authorities to ensure the nation does not continue its streak of non-participation.
For now, as Tokyo celebrates the close of a successful global meet, Somalia’s absence serves as a painful reminder of untapped potential and the long road ahead to reclaim a place in world athletics.