Olympic distance running star Mo Farah revealed to the BBC he was trafficked to the United Kingdom illegally as a child and forced to work as a domestic servant.
The revelation came as part of a new documentary that’s set to debut Wednesday on HBO and on HBO Max, the company’s digital streaming platform. In the documentary, Farah also shared that he was born in Somaliland and that his real name is Hussein Abdi Kahin.
“Despite what I said in the past, my parents never lived in the UK,” Farah told the BBC.
He revealed to the outlet that his family was torn apart after his father was killed in the civil war when he was only four years old. Somaliland declared independence in 1991 when it broke away from Somalia.
“I was separated from my mother and I was brought into the UK illegally under the name of another child called Mohamed Farah,” he said in a video clip shared by the BBC.
The four-time Olympic champion, 39, said he was then flown to the UK when he was eight or nine with a woman he didn’t know. The woman told him he had relatives there.
The same woman told him his real name was Mohamed, and he said she had fake travel documents with her where his photo was next to the name “Mohamed Farah.”
Upon arriving in the UK, Farah said the woman ripped up a piece of paper that had contact information for his relatives back home and tossed it in the trash.
“Right in front of me, she ripped it up and put it in the bin. At that moment, I knew I was in trouble,” he said.
He was then told to do housework and childcare “if I wanted food in my mouth.” The woman also told him not to say anything if he ever wanted to see his family again.
Farah eventually enrolled in school at Feltham Community College, where he informed a gym teacher of his true identity. The teacher contacted social services and helped Farah join another family.
“I still missed my real family, but from that moment everything got better,” Farah said.
“I felt like a lot of stuff was lifted off my shoulders, and I felt like me. That’s when Mo came out — the real Mo.”
Farah went on to become one of the most accomplished British athletes of all time.
Farah’s first gold medal came after winning the London 2012 Olympic games when he finished the 10,000m at 27:30.42. The same year, he won gold for the men’s 5,000m, which he completed in 13:41:66. During the 2016 Olympics in Rio, he won gold for the 10,000m and became the first British athlete to win three Olympic gold medals. That same year, he went on to win a fourth gold medal for the 5,000m.
– Aron Yohannes
