The Somali Olympic Committee helped a record number of women to enter the National Youth Sports Development Program
GAROWE, Somalia — In a landmark move for Somali sport, the National Olympic Committee of Somalia (NOCSOM) launched its nationwide youth sports development program in Garowe, the capital of Puntland State, with a strong focus on empowering young women and girls through sport.
The launch ceremony held on Thursday marks a new chapter in the history of Somali sports. For the first time, female participants outnumbered male participants in an official NOCSOM development program — a significant milestone in a country where women’s access to sport has historically been limited due to cultural barriers.
The program brought together several national sports federations, including athletics, handball, basketball, chess and table tennis. The training covers five critical areas of sports development: coaching, sports administration, refereeing, talent identification and safeguarding.
Somali NOC senior vice president, Duran Ahmed Farah, sad that the comprehensive approach is designed to create a new generation of both qualified male and female coaches, referees and administrators who can lead sport at state and national levels.
“This scheme is aimed at spreading sport throughout the country to create opportunities for young people and we want to produce young women and men who have the talent and are capable of doing the job. This is part of our strategy to promote sport throughout the nation and to produce talented educators for every federal member state of Somalia” said Somali NOC Senior Vice President Duran Ahmed Farah, who presided over the launch of the nationwide sports development program alongside minister Mohamud Aideed Dirir.
A New Chapter for Women in Somali Sport
The increased enrollment of women is seen as a deliberate and strategic decision by the Somali NOC to address gender inequality in sport. Under the new program, young women and girls are given the same opportunity as men to access coaching education, leadership training and officiating pathways.
Nationwide Roll Out After Garowe
According to Duran Farah, the program launched in Garowe, is only the beginning of a wider national rollout and following Puntland, similar programs will be held in other Federal Member States. “Now we are in Puntland for the launch of national sports development program and this will be followed by more other programs in other states of the country” Farah confirmed.
The NOCSOM senior vice president also praised the cooperation of the Puntland administration, singling out the Ministry of Youth and Sports for its support. “I would like to thank the state of Puntland for its high-profile cooperation with the Somali Olympic Committee and particularly the minister of sport, Mohamud Aidid Dirir, who is a sports-loving man and always is available to cooperate with us in any sport development program,” he said. Minister Dirir, who attended the launch of the program, welcomed the NOCSOM’s decision to start the nationwide initiative in Garowe and reaffirmed Puntland’s commitment to promoting youth and women’s sport.
The program is fully aligned with the International Olympic Committee’s agenda on gender equality and youth development in sport and it is being implemented with support from Olympic Solidarity, which funds sports education across the world.
For Somalia, a nation rebuilding after decades of conflicts, the initiative carries a deeper meaning. Sport is increasingly being used as a tool for social cohesion, youth empowerment and peacebuilding and by giving women a central role, the NOCSOM hopes to send a powerful message of inclusion.
As the training sessions continue in Garowe this week, the sight of dozens of young Somali women and girls in coaching bibs, holding whistles and tactics boards, tells its own story — a story of change, opportunity, and a new future for Somali sport.
