Stars of the track
Ethiopia has made its mark in the world of athletics and one man, Abebe Bekila, has played a significant part in the country’s rise to prominence. Winning gold in the marathon at the Rome Olympics in 1960, this soldier became the first African athlete ever to have won a medal.
Negus of the marathon, Ghebray Haile Selassie salutes the crowd of runners.
© Nahom Tesfaye
Four years later, he won a second gold at the Tokyo Olympics to become the only runner ever to have won two Olympic marathons.
Many athletes from Ethiopia’s high plateaus have excelled since then in the 10,000 metres, 5,000 metres, 3,000 metres and the marathon and legendary figures have emerged in women’s athletics as well as in the men’s events. Haile Gebreselassie, Derartu Tulu and Berhane Adere will be familiar names to the over-thirties, while the younger generation will recognise Kenenisa Bekele, Turunesh Dibabaw and Meseret Defar.
This high level of success owes much to the Ethiopian Athletics Federation (EAF) which was established in 1949 and is the country’s most efficiently-run sporting federation. Between 2003–2007 its budget increased from US$777 to more than US$3 million.
Elshaday Negash, spokesperson for the EAF, said the federation’s success comes down to the fact that it is the only Ethiopian sporting federation that does not depend on government funding. It is completely self-sufficient thanks to grants from the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and support from its main sponsor, Adidas.
All of these runners are extremely popular figures because of their charity work as well as for their achievements in athletics. Most of them are ambassadors for UNICEF or the World Food Programme, and they are well known for their generosity. Last year many of them helped the victims of the Dire Dawa floods.
In contrast to their predecessors in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, the current crop of athletes is also making a great deal of money for themselves. In the past, any profit made by the runners ended up in the state’s coffers, but today they pay the state a 10% tax and receive bonuses from the state for victories at major international championships. This has allowed some of them to invest in profitable business ventures.
Haile Gebreselassie is a pioneer in this, owning a sports centre, a cinema and a property portfolio in Addis Ababa. His business empire is estimated to be worth 75 million birrs (around US$8 million).
Kenenisa Bekele has also invested in property. This exceptional athlete is believed to have made US$1.5 million in the last three years and he plans to build a sports centre in Sululta – 30 kilometres from the capital – with a track, swimming pool and accommodation. Sululta is one of many places where athletes train before taking part in major competitions. The women are not being outdone, but they are much more discreet about their investments. We do know though that Turunesh Dibabaw amassed a fortune of US$450,000 in 2005 at the age of just 19!
There are however still a number of problems in Ethiopian athletics. The spokesperson for the EAF believes there are too few talented young athletes and says there are not enough clubs or privately run projects in the regions.
In spite of these concerns, Ethiopian athletics is in a healthy state and enjoys mass participation with young and old training regularly. ‘The Great Run’, a 10-kilometer run, which aims to raise money for humanitarian aid, has been held every year since 2001. Thirty thousand runners made their way through the capital’s hilly streets for charity in September’s ‘millennium’ run. And Ethiopia’s athletics stars hope to shine when the country hosts the African Athletics Championships in 2008.
