Kenenisa Bekele at the Weltklasse Zürich,
ÅF Golden League press conference on
Thu 28 Aug 2008 [Photo:Chris Turner] (IAAF) Zürich, Switzerland – In Beijing last week, Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele achieved a feat that even his great compatriot Haile Gebrselassie was unable to match in his illustrious track career. Joining Hannes Kolehmainen (FIN), Emil Zatopek (CZE), Vladimir Kuts (URS), Lasse Viren (FIN) and Miruts Yifter (ETH), Bekele is now one of only six men to win the 5000m and 10,000m double at the Olympic Games since those metric distances were introduced to the Olympic programme in 1912.
But Bekele’s historic achievement in China, as that of his female compatriot Tirunesh Dibaba over the same distances which was unique in women’s Olympic distance running history, was largely overlooked by the world because of one man, Jamaican Usain Bolt, whose phenomenal sprint successes transcended Athletics to make him the overall star of Beijing 2008, along with swimmer Michael Phelps.
Bekele, the World record holder for 5000 and 10,000m, was at a press conference in Zürich this afternoon ahead of tomorrow night’s Weltklasse Zürich, ÅF Golden League meeting (Fri 29) where he’ll run the 5000m. Was he upset that the 22-year-old Jamaican had upstaged the rest of the athletics programme which had produced so many other outstanding results including his own?
“No, I’m not upset (that Bolt’s success took all the headlines).”
“We cannot compare Bolt with myself. Sprinting and distance running, it is not possible to compare.”
“Bolt is very strong, very special,” said Bekele. “To break two World records (three with the sprint relay) in an Olympic Games is very special.”
The phrase ‘very special’ was constantly on Bekele’s lips this afternoon, and is how he also summed up his own Olympic double. The magnitude of his successes left him searching for an adequate description, and eventually to concede – “there are no words to describe how I feel…what can I say, its so very special for me.”
A very famous place to race
After a total of three races and Olympic records in both the 5000m (12:57.82) and 10,000m (27:01.17) finals, Bekele could be excused for wanting to take a holiday before competing again.
It’s been a busy few days of travel since his 5000m victory on Saturday (23). With the rest of the Ethiopian team Bekele has already made the trip back home to receive the expected rapturous welcome in the capital Addis Ababa.
“People at home expect success, they are waiting to celebrate after each Games. Yes, there were a million or more on the streets to welcome us, and the Prime Minister and President were there to greet us.”
Zürich Meeting Director Patrick Magyar revealed today that it took a great effort to persuade the Ethiopian Federation to let Bekele leave Addis Ababa early during the celebrations so that he could compete here on Friday.
“IAAF President Lamine Diack greatly supported us on this and convinced the Federation to allow Kenenisa to compete in Zürich,” confirmed Magyar.
But the matter was always clear in Bekele’s mind at least.
“Yes, I always intended to run in Zürich,” said the three-time World and two-time Olympic 10,000m champion. “It is a good place, with good organisation, a very famous place to race.”
I just come here to win
But what of his hopes for Friday’s race?
“I’m a little tired, as it is very close to the Olympic Games. I can’t push for a World record anymore (this season).”
“So I don’t talk of records for this race. After my successes in Beijing, I just come here to win.”
Many more years on the track
What of the longer term future, and following Haile Gebrselassie to the marathon?
“The Marathon? It’s too early for me to think of this yet. I still have time to run many more 5000 and 10,000m races, with faster times and breaking records. I want to keep running these distances at World Championships and Olympic Games for many more years,” confirmed Bekele.
It’s a statement which should concern anyone with Olympic aspirations in 2012, and as Bekele only turned 26-years-old in June, perhaps even in 2016!
EDITOR’S NOTE: As reports by Human Rights Watch and other rights groups indicate, many of these young girls will be abused and sexually exploited. There is no one to speak out for them. That is why the Saudis prefer Ethiopian girls more than women from Easter Europeans and other countries. Is there any thing left to be sold by chigaram Woyannes?
(Saudi Gazette) JEDDAH – Recruitment of Ethiopian house-maids, arriving in the Kingdom within the next few days, is expected to curb demand for Indonesian labor by 30 percent.
Sources at the Ministry of Labor said Ethiopia authorized its nationals to work in Saudi Arabia without placing any conditions for recruitment except the legal formalities. The country has set the monthly salary for house-maids at SR700. Recruitment fees will range from SR4,000 to SR6,000, Al-Watan reported.
Ali Al-Qurashi, member of the Foreign Recruitment Committee at Jeddah’s Chamber of Commerce, dismissed news on recruitment from East European countries like Bulgaria, Ukraine and Russia. However, recruitment from Islamic countries like Tajikistan, Kyrghizistan, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo is in the pipeline, he said.
The recruitment will carry a number of restrictions including a minimum age of 40 for the workers, he added.
Faisal Al-Qatami, member of the recruitment committee at the chamber said several inquiries were received for recruitment from Eastern Europe, but no response was received from the National Recruitment Committee or from the Ministry of Labor.
“I expect recruitment from these countries will be banned,” Al-Qatami said.
EMF – Ginbot 7 Dimits Radio, a radio broadcast of Ginbot 7 Movement for Justice, Freedom and Democracy (G7) will start on Thursday, September 11, 2008 (Meskerem 1, 2001 Eth. Cal.), the Movement’s public relations officials told EMF.
September 11, also known as Enqutatash, is Ethiopia’s New Year. “It is a new-year-gift for freedom loving Ethiopians,” the G7 officials said.
The radio program will be transmitted at 21,555 KHZ on 13 meter band and 17,655 khz on 13 meter band every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday between 8:00PM to 8:30PM (2:00 to 2:30 Ethiopian time).
The program will focus on the current Ethiopian situation and uses to mobilize people for the struggle for change in Ethiopia, according to the movement.
Ginbot 7 Radio will start broadcasting in Amharic, but there is a plan to add other major Ethiopian languages soon.
The broadcasting will have a signal strength of 500 KW and beamed to Ethiopia and its neighbours and will also be available on its web site ( www.ginbot7.org ) for the Diaspora listeners.
By John C. Ensslin, Rocky Mountain News
DENVER — Barack Obama was the clear favorite among the majority of people dining at the Cafe Africana on East Colfax Avenue in Denver one night last week.
None of Ethiopian immigrants interviewed had the right to vote. However, that doesn’t mean they haven’t been paying attention to the race.
Teddy Gazahagn, a 35-year-old warehouse worker from Denver, started tuning in back in the spring when the primary battle between Obama and Hillary Clinton was running at full tilt.
“I just like the way he talks. It has meaning,” Gazahagn said. “I’m just convinced that he’s going to be president.”
Obama has been a frequent topic of conversation whenever Gazahay and his cousin Asfeha Teklehaimanot, 29, of Denver, get together for some home style cooking and Ethiopian beer.
Teklehaimanot is holding down jobs as a security guard and a liquor store clerk, all while attending Community College of Denver. Yet he started paying attention to Obama almost from the time the Illinois senator declared himself a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Teklehaimanot agrees with his cousin that Obama has a chance to win.
“He’s very confident and what he says makes sense,” he said.
In Obama, he sees America turning to a new and different chapter.
“Another thing is he’s against the war. That’s one of the reasons I hope he wins because the war is killing us,” he said, citing the impact the war in Iraq has had on the U.S. economy.
The world’s oldest running film festival opened Wednesday in the Italian coastal city of Venice with a screening of the Coen brothers film ‘Burn After Reading.’
The latest quirky film by the Academy Award winning brothers features Brad Pitt and George Clooney, as well as Academy Award winning actors Frances McDormand and Tilda Swinton.
While the Coen brothers film in not in the competition, 21 other films are in the running for the coveted Golden Lion top prize at the 65th Venice Film Festival.
Among this year’s offerings will be French director Barbet Schroeder’s ‘The Beast in the Shadow,’ a thriller set in Japan, and Ethiopian director Haile Gerima’s ‘Teza’ about an Ethiopian ex-patriot who returns to his native village at age 60.
Filmmakers from around the world, including from Algeria, Brazil, China, Iran, Spain and Portugal have submitted their works for the competition.
This year’s festival is dedicated to Egyptian filmmaker Youssef Chahine who died last month at the age of 82. His film Chaos was shown at last year’s festival.
Source: VOA News
While Somalia’s president and prime minister have been negotiating about how to work together, the opposition has been mobilising.
On Friday, fighters took over the key southern port city of Kismayo, after a week of fierce fighting with local clans who had control of the city.
Al Jazeera gained exclusive access to Kismayo. Rosie Garthwaite has our report.
