Mo Farah reveals he was trafficked to the UK as a child

In a new BBC documentary airing tomorrow, July 13th at 9pm, Olympic athlete Mo Farah shares his true identity and story of his illegal trafficking into the UK.

The long-distance runner, who received his knighthood from the Queen in 2017, is the most successful male track distance runner ever, as well as the most successful British track athlete in modern Olympics Games history.

Mo, originally named Hussein Abdi Kahin, is finally ready to come to terms with his real story after ‘blocking it out’ for so long. His father was killed in a civil war when he was only 4 years old, and he was separated from his mother and brought to the UK illegally under the name of another child. He was lied to and told he was going to see his family in Europe.

The ‘parents’ that raised him in the UK treated him terribly. He was forced to cook, clean, and care for the other children in the house. He was told not to tell anyone if he ever wanted to see his real family again.

He wasn’t allowed to attend school until he was about 12, where he found his love of running. PE was his only escape from his miserable living situation, stating ‘the only thing I could do to get away from this was to get out and run.'

He had a great relationship with PE teacher, Alan Watkinson, who contacted social services to get him out of his living situation. Eventually he was fostered by a Somali family. Although he ‘still missed his real family’, ‘everything from that moment got better’. He says that’s when ‘the real Mo’ came out.

He excelled as an athlete, and this is what saved him. He is now a 10 time global champion gold medal holder, making him the most successful male distance runner ever.

Mo is showing incredible bravery by sharing his story, and is receiving an enormous amount of support and praise. The mayor of London thanked Farah for sharing his story, and described him as ‘a truly great Briton.'

Everything Sir Mo has survived proves he’s not only one of our greatest Olympians but a truly great Briton.@Mo_Farah thank you for sharing your story, shining a spotlight on these awful crimes & showing why safe passage is so important for those in need. https://t.co/oYPpNXkw0h

— Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) July 12, 2022

Watch The Real Mo Farah on BBC One tomorrow, July 13, at 9pm.