WATCH | Viral 'runner' video sees Somalia's head of athletics suspended

Somalia's Olympic committee has suspended the head of athletics for "shaming" the country after a video showing a clearly amateur runner coming last in an international race went viral.

Sports Minister Mohamed Barre Mohamud said Wednesday that a woman who competed for Somalia in the 100 metres at the ongoing Summer World University Games in China was neither a "sports person nor a runner".

There was also no "Somali University Sports Association", the minister said in a letter addressed to the nation's Olympic committee, urging the body to suspend the chairwoman of the Somali Athletics Federation, Khadijo Aden Dahir.

The runner, identified by the ministry as Nasro Abukar Ali, plodded over the finish line more than 10 seconds behind the winner, sparking ridicule and outrage among Somalis on social media.

Have you ever seen anything like this? ??#BBCAthletics pic.twitter.com/T5BWMKGi6D

"After getting evidence indicating how Nasro Abukar Ali... was selected, we have confirmed that Khadijo Adan Dahir has committed power abuse and nepotism by selecting a person with no sports background," the Somalia Olympic Committee said in a statement.   

"This has shamed the sports of the country."

"Henceforth, I have temporarily suspended Khadijo Adan Dahir", the committee added.

In an interview on Facebook on Thursday, Ali said she was "selected through a competitive process" but had suffered an injury before the race.

"When I was running in the competition, I had muscle strain but in order to avoid being blamed I was still running", Ali said, adding that she was "disappointed to be the last one".

"I have been selected through a competitive process by a university sports association, they are blaming the chairwoman for nothing, they were