Muhammad Abdallah Kounta

Muhammad Abdallah Kounta

Muhammad Abdallah Kounta in 2023
Personal information
Nationality	French
Born	(1994-10-27) 27 October 1994 (age 30) Paris, France
Height	1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight	75 kg (165 lb)
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event	400 metres
Achievements and titles
Personal best	45.17 (La Chaûx de Fond 2024)
Medal record Men's athletics Representing   France European Indoor Championships 2023 Istanbul 4 × 400 m relay

Muhammad Abdallah Kounta (born 27 October 1994) is a French Olympic sprinter who is currently suspended. ^[1]

Running career

Kounta won the 2024 French Championships in the 400 meter run. ^[2] He competed for France in the men's 4 × 400 metres relay event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in which France was eliminated in its first heat, and the 2024 Paris Olympics in which France came in last (ninth) in the final. ^[3]

Controversies

In August 2024, Kounta was suspended by the President of the French Athletics Federation for publishing comments inciting hatred on social media, including inciting hatred against France, white people, Christians, and Jews, as well as support for the Islamist group Hamas. ^{[4] [5] [6] [7]} Among Kounta's posts, he expressed a desire to “kill Little White." ^[8]

The Federation President also made a report to the Public Prosecutor, as well as to the Federation's Disciplinary Committee, which will consider banning him permanently. ^{[8] [7] [9] [10]} French Minister of Sports Amélie Oudéa-Castéra said Kounta's posts were "as shocking as they are unacceptable." ^[7] Île-de-France Regional Councilor Patrick Karam, the right-hand man of the President of the Regional Council of Île-de-France Valérie Pécresse, called for the "heaviest sanctions" to be levied against Kounta, including criminal prosecution and Kounta's permanent removal by the Federation's Disciplinary Committee. ^{[11] [12]} If prosecuted for inciting hatred, he could face one year in prison and a €45,000 fine. ^[13]

References

1. "Muhammad Abdallah Kounta". Olympedia. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
2. "French Championships," worldathletics.org.
3. "Athletics: Men's 4 x 400m Relay Results". Tokyo 2020. Archived from the original on 6 August 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
4. Daniel Soriano (15 August 2024). "Athlete Muhammad Kounta penalised for hate speech," Inside the Games.
5. à 13h14, Par Flavien Gagnepain Le 14 août 2024 (14 August 2024). "L'athlète français Muhammad Abdallah Kounta suspendu pour ses " propos choquants " annonce Amélie Oudéa-Castéra". leparisien.fr (in French). Retrieved 14 August 2024.
6. "Muhammad Abdallah Kounta suspendu par la Fédération française d'athlétisme après des tweets polémiques". Franceinfo (in French). 14 August 2024. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
7. "French Olympic Athlete Kounta Suspended For Inciting Hatred On Social Media," Agence France Presse, August 14, 2024.
8. "Athlete Muhammad Abdallah Kounta prov after discovery of his pro-Hamas and anti-White tweets," Entrevue.fr, August 15, 2024.
9. à 09h15, Par Flavien Gagnepain Le 14 août 2024 (14 August 2024). "L'athlète français Kounta ciblé pour des " propos inacceptables ", des " sanctions lourdes " demandées". leparisien.fr (in French). Retrieved 14 August 2024.
10. JO Paris 2024: critiqué pour des tweets violents contre Israël et la France, Muhammad Abdallah Kounta présente ses excuses, site lefigaro.fr, 14 août 2024.
11. "French athlete Kounta targeted for “unacceptable remarks”, “heavy sanctions” requested," Le Parisien.
12. "Frenchman Muhammad Abdallah Kounta suspended by athletics federation for hate speech – Libération," DaryFR.euro
13. David Chazan (August 15, 2024). "French sprinter could face prosecution over ‘anti-white’ posts," The Times.

External links

• Muhammad Abdallah Kounta at World Athletics
• Muhammad Abdallah Kounta at the French Athletics Federation (in French)
• Muhammad Abdallah Kounta at the French Olympic and Sports Committee (archived) (in French)
• Muhammad Abdallah Kounta at Olympedia