LONDON — London’s Metropolitan Police Service has opened an investigation into four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah’s revealed that he was trafficked to the U.K. as a child.
The inquiry comes after Farah, 39, said in a documentary that a woman he didn’t know brought him to the U.K. when he was about 8 years old and forced him to care for her children. He said he wasn’t allowed to go to school until he was 12.
Farah claimed that his true name was Hussein Abdi Kahin in the BBC/Red Bull Studios documentary. Farah claimed he was brought here by fake documents. These documents included Farah’s picture and the name Mohammed Farah. This was the name that he used to win four Olympic gold medals. He was also knighted in the Queen Elizabeth II coronation.
“We are aware of reports in the media concerning Sir Mo Farah. No reports have been made to the MPS at this time,’’ the police department said in a statement. “Specialist officers have opened an investigation and are currently assessing the available information.”
Farah claimed that he had previously stated in the past that he came to Britain as a Somalian refugee with his parents. However, Farah claims his parents didn’t come to Britain.
Continue reading: What’s the Root Cause of Human Trafficking?
Farah, who was 4 years old at the time of gunfire in Somalia during unrest occurred to his father according to the documentary. The film shows that Farah’s mother, along with his two siblings, live in Somaliland (a region within Somalia which isn’t internationally recognised).
Farah stated in documentary that Alan Watkinson, a physical education teacher, helped him to obtain U.K citizenship as Mohamed Farah.
The British government has said it won’t take action against Farah for any potential violation of immigration laws.
Farah said he was proud to have represented Britain as an athlete but that his “proudest achievement will always be being a husband and father to my amazing family.″
“I did this documentary for them, so they could understand more about the experiences that led us to becoming the family we are today,″ he said in a social media post. “Not every child will have the easiest start in life, but that doesn’t mean they can’t go on to achieve their dreams.″
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