Since Somalia entered a rookie 100-meter sprinter at the World University Games in China, there have been calls for authorities to be fired.

Nasra Abubakar Ali, who completed the race in nearly twice as much time as the winner, was chosen by the nation's sports minister, who has since apologized.

She allegedly didn't have any prior experience competing in elite tournaments.

The racer eventually finishes the race with a cheery skip on a video of the event, but is quickly out of frame.

The amateur athlete came in more than ten seconds behind the winner, finishing the race in 21.81 seconds.

The incident was called an embarrassment by the minister of sports, Mohamed Barre Mohamud.

"What happened today was not representation of the Somali people... we apologise to the Somali people," he said.

Some Somalis have questioned why she was ever chosen because she supposedly had no prior experience competing.

"It's disheartening to witness such an incompetent government. How could they select an untrained girl to represent Somalia in running?" wrote one social media user, Elham Garaad. "It's truly shocking and reflects poorly on our country internationally."

In a press release posted to its Facebook page, the Association of Somali Universities said it had not appointed any athlete to compete in the event.

The Somali Athletics Federation has reportedly agreed to launch an investigation into how Ms Abubakar Ali was selected.

The incident is not the first time Somalia has sparked controversy with its choice of athletes at international athletics events.

In 2016, Maryan Nuh Muse ran a sluggish time of 1.10.14 in the 400m at the Rio Olympics. The average time for the event is about 48 seconds.

However, many praised the runner for seeking to take part in the race and for defying the tough conditions faced by Somali women seeking to take part in high-level sport.

At the 2012 Olympics in London, Zamzam Mohamed Farah clocked a time of 1:20:48 - some 30 seconds behind the winner.

The athlete was reportedly subjected to death threats throughout the games from some in Somalia who believed women should not participate in sport.