EDITOR’S NOTE
APRIL 1993
Our Olympic athletes are truly great heroes considering the obstacles they faced to reach Atlanta. They lacked support and the necessary training, not to mention the emotional ups and downs brought upon them by politically appointed incompetent sports officials. When athletes from other countries arrived earlier to acclimatize themselves with the humid Atlanta weather, our athletes could not do so for lack of budget. “I have never experienced such humidity,” Haile said in Atlanta. The athletes were distressed. They could not even enjoy the pride of flying their own country’s airline. Ethiopian Airlines would not accommodate their schedule. So they flew Lufthansa! When they came to Atlanta, their arrival time was kept secret depriving them of cheerful welcome with flowers and flag by Ethiopians in Atlanta. Despite such mishandling and total neglect, our athletes came to Atlanta and performed admirably. One wonders what our athletes could have achieved had they have been given the kind of support and treatment that athletes from other countries receive.
Fatuma’s victory in the women’s marathon was sweet and exiting for us. We say thank you and congratulations to Fatuma. At the same time, we are disheartened by the fact that another Ethiopian marathon hero, Mammo Wolde, is still languishing in jail for the third straight year in violation of his civil rights. Mammo’s suffering exemplifies the sad state of affairs in our society at the hands of its own “government.”
Fatuma Roba and Haile Gebreselassie won gold for our country. Fatuma became the first African woman to win the Olympic marathon, while Haile won the 10,000-meter setting a new Olympic record. They made us proud. Their magnificent achievements keep our hope for Ethiopia alive.
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