(AP) VALENCIA, Spain — World-record holder Haile Gebrselassie is almost certain to miss the marathon at the Beijing Olympics because of the city’s poor air quality.
The Ethiopian long-distance star has asthma and he fears damage to his health running through the streets of the Chinese capital.
Gebrselassie would be a gold-medal favorite if he did take part.
His agent said the athlete will make a final decision after May 24, when he will know if he has qualified for the 10,000m at Beijing.
Gebrselassie won back-to-back gold medals in the 10,000m at the 1996 Atlanta Games and the 2000 Sydney Games. The Ethiopian, who suffered from inflammation of the Achilles tendon leading up to the Athens Games, finished fifth in 2004.
He turned his focus to road racing and the marathon following the 2004 Olympics. Gebrselassie has won several marathons — including in Berlin, where he set a world record — leading up the Beijing Games.
Because of pollution, many countries have based their training camps outside China before the Olympics begin Aug. 8.
Beijing to ban cars during Olympics
(AFP) – Beijing authorities will definitely go ahead with a ban on some cars during the Olympics to help ease pollution during the Games, a city official was quoted in the state press saying on Friday.
“Automobiles, excluding taxis, buses and emergency vehicles, are to stay off roads every other day in accordance with the even and odd numbers on the licence plates,” Xinhua news agency quoted vice-mayor Ji Lin as saying.
“The ban is aimed to ensure air quality during the sport events in Beijing.”
A plan to compensate drivers for not using their car was being worked out and would be announced later, he said on the sidelines of China’s annual parliamentary session. No other details were immediately divulged.
Chinese authorities have said previously in vague terms that cars may be taken off the roads during the Games, but Ji’s comments were the first time concrete measures had been publicised.
Beijing is one of the world’s most polluted cities and some of the 10 000 athletes coming for the August Games, including Ethiopian distance great Haile Gebrselassie, have expressed concerns about the health impacts of competing.
The capital underwent a four-day trial ban on cars in August 2007, one year before the 2008 Games, but the air quality did not show marked improvement.
During the one-year countdown, International Olympic Committee chief Jacques Rogge warned that endurance events such as the marathon could be postponed to protect competitors.
“The task of bringing environmental pollution and traffic congestion under control remain arduous,” Beijing mayor Guo Jinlong said in a speech to the city’s legislature in January.
Guo said Beijing would enact strict standards on emissions this year and take other steps to curb pollution, such as closing down factories and suspending construction work in the city.
BAIDOA, Somalia (Garowe Online) – The commander of the Somali army’s 17th Brigade said he quit and left the town of Dinsor Monday, citing lack of resources and the presence of a formidable enemy in the region.
Col. Osman Ahmed told reporters that he quit after repeatedly asking for financial and equipment resources from top military commanders, but receiving no response.
He said some of his loyal soldiers backed by battlewagons left for Bardhere, a town in neighboring Gedo region. But the remaining soldiers returned to the city of Baidoa, seat of the Somali parliament.
“The money that should be used to fund Somali soldiers is being used to fund Ethiopian Woyanne troops,” Col. Ahmed said during a radio interview.
He said that his army unit “lost many soldiers” last month, when al-Shabaab guerrillas raided Dinsor town and took control following a bloody battle.
Somalia’s interim government is bankrolled almost entirely by Western donor powers, and critics often say that it has been crippled by weak domestic institutions and lack of coordinated government protocol.
As an Ethiopian, and a person of the African Diaspora in general, it saddens me to see my people–our people–keep routing for our individual differences instead of coming together for our collective enrichment. I don’t know about you, but hollering about my culture, trying to earn distinction as a child of a Gondere and a Menze, or bragging about being Ethiopian has not earned me one break in life. I work like everyone else to make it, if I missed a secret club that offers benefits of being of a “special” ethnicity or culture, please someone let me know. Assuming that there is no such club, why then do we constantly go out of our way to elevate our egos at the expense of another group?
While the unfortunate many are living in an impoverished state in Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, etc., the blessed minority of us–whether in the United States or elsewhere–obsess about our ethnic individualism instead of coming together to revive our respective countries. We have been blessed with the gifts of intellect and ambition necessary to advance our cause; instead we use these gifts to attack each other. Trust me, you are not helping out the average Ethiopian, Eritrean, or Somali by constantly disparaging your supposed enemy; the only thing you are doing is enabling the “ruling class” who use these differences to enrich themselves at the cost of the people.
It’s easy to attack someone in the abstract, to denigrate an intangible individual, but next time you feel like uttering a word of hatred–regardless of your nationality or ethnicity–look at the Eritrean woman in the store with two kids who did nothing to you–your words are aimed at her the same as they are at your supposed enemy. Look at the Ethiopian man who is working the midnight shift, trying to put his children in college–your words of ill will are affixed at him the same way they are affixed to your abstract foe. Look at the Somali child who is trying hard to attain the American dream–your word of derision target her as much as it targets some amorphous adversary.
We all know that there have been historical injustices and that no one group’s hands come out totally clean, but how many generations have to fight the same battles before we call a truce. We should not be ensnared by the sins of our fathers or the bitterness of past generations. The vitriolic venom that is spewed in the name of ethnic pride is nothing but empty rhetoric that diminishes our collective aspirations.
The fingers of the hand are weak, a pinkie alone cannot pick up a brick, nor can a thumb by itself build a house, working together, they can move mountains, clenched they become a powerful force to protect our collective rights. Imagine if we banded together in America to advocate for policies that advance our collective interests. After all, we have more in common than we have that sets us apart. The way forward for Africa is not through ethnic exceptionalism, rather it is through economic collectivism—we have to enter into a new age of a post-ethnic philosophy. Think about the impact our unity can have back in Ethiopia , Eritrea , Somalia and the rest of Africa .
Patrick Henry knew of the power of Unity, during the Revolutionary War, he proclaimed, “Let us trust God, and our better judgment to set us right hereafter. United we stand, divided we fall. Let us not split into factions which must destroy that union upon which our existence hangs.”
Next time you want to point a finger in the air to brag about being “number one”, just remember that the finger you point upwards will not do anything to build or protect the very ethnicity you are so proud of. Collectively we are powerful, individually we are always going to be impotent; letting others exploit our resources and historical wealth while we stand apart bragging about our ancestors and past accolades–but hey who cares, at least “we” are number one right?
Whatever else Barack Obama’s presidential campaign signifies, it represents a concerted effort to transcend partisan animosities for the sake of solving problems–both domestic problems like unemployment, housing, education, healthcare, infrastructure, and environment, and a foreign policy that made the nation less secure against terrorism. In addressing such issues, Senator Obama builds on a record of achieving consensus among normally divergent parties. In the primary contests, Ethiopian-, Eritrean-, and Somali-American citizens rallied in large numbers behind Obama’s candidacy. They find him a leader ready to address the nation’s pressing concerns and to restore a positive American presence in the global community. Without muting that enthusiasm, I want to suggest that something else which the senator represents can yield an even greater benefit for Ethiopia and the Horn. This point was broached by Teddy Fikre, in a piece on Obama in the most recent issue of The Ethiopian American: “The possibility of overcoming racial, ethnic, religious, and regional differences has implications in countries throughout the world.” His piece goes on to note that Obama’s approach encourages countries long stymied by historical grievances and unending conflicts to set aside their divisions and unite for the common good… Read more>>
Ethiopian Tariku Bekele won the title in the men’s 3,000-meter race on Sunday at the 12th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics in Valencia, Spain.
It shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone that the first time a major global title would be transferred between siblings, that the family name would be Bekele. With a dominating second half performance Tariku Bekele succeeded older broth Kenenisa as World Indoor 3000m.
Tariku, sixth behind his brother two years ago in Moscow, played the favourite’s role admirably, biding his time in the race’s first half before taking control over the second en route to a convincing 7:48.23 victory.
Kenyan Paul Kipsiele Koech, who took command of the race in the early stages, held on to finish a distant second in 7:49.05.
“It was a very good race,” said Bekele, who arrived in Valencia as the world leader at 7:31.09, notably, faster than his brother this year. “Winning is not easy but I have been training hard. My tactic was to run really fast during the last kilometre.”
Kipsiele Koech, better known as a steeplechase specialist, took control from the gun, followed by Ethiopian No. 2 Abrahem Cherkos, with Bekele and Australian Craig Mottram tucking in behind. Little changed by 1000m, with the field running as a fairly solid pack.
The order remained with 800m to go, but the pack was beginning to spread out, with Koech still in the lead, and Bekele ready to pounce.
He took the lead with two laps to go, with Koech, Cherkos, Mottram and Edwin Soi struggling to hang on. With Soi and Mottram dropping back, the medals and finishing order were already decided.
“I’m happy because I won a medal,” said Kipsiele Koech. “I expected to at least get something.”
Cherkos, only 18, followed Koech across the line to take bronze (7:49.96) in his first World Championships appearance, followed by Soi (7:51.60) and further back, Mottram (7:52.42).
“This is very good for the Ethiopian team,” Cherkos understated. “We are very strong runners.”
Bekele’s victory was the fifth in the event for Ethiopia. Boding well for Bekele is that he not only succeeds his brother, but also three-time winner Haile Gebrselassie as well.
Meseret Defar wins women’s 3,000m title at indoor worlds
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On Saturday, Meseret Defar from Ethiopia won the gold medal in the women’s 3,000 meters.
Defar dashed to the fore in the last two laps to finish race at a speed of eight minutes and 38.79 seconds.
The reigning Olympic and World 5,000 champion has headed the world season lists after clocking 8:27.93 in Stuttgat and earlier in the indoor campaign she smashed the Two Mile world best with 9:10.50 in Boston.
Her compatriot Meselech Melkamu won the silver medal with a speed of 8:41.50.
Melkamu, three-time senior World cross Country bronze medal list is unbeaten over 3,000 meter this season and her best time of 8:29.48 recorded in Valencia marks her out as serious medal contender.
Morocco’s Mariem Alaoui Selsouli, who led the race most of the time, finished third at 8:41.66.
