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The Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi, has rightly
observed in a short but intellectual remark he made
at a special awarding ceremony organized and held at
Sheraton Addis, that the recognition that African
leaders have accorded the legendary athletes who
have significantly contributed to the success story
of the people of Africa is just, belated as it may
be. These athletes have - through their feet -
portrayed the true face of Africa and the natural
talents and potential her sons and daughters
possess, more so than African politicians have been
able to do over the last five decades.
Our athletes have continually been proving that
Africa is not only a great source of wealth, but
also a powerhouse when it comes to footballers and
athletes, many of whom have proven to be forces to
be reckoned with, just think of the super soccer
star, Pele. Mention any best team in the English
Premier League, for instance, and you can be sure to
find one or two African players who make difference.
If Chelsea were to win this year’s European
Champions League, mark my words, it definitely would
be an African scoring the decisive goals.
The victory achieved in the 1960 Olympics by the
Ethiopian, Abebe, who beat the 42 plus kilometres
tarmac roads in Rome with his bare feet, set a new
record for the marathon. He was also the first gold
medal winner for Africa and a pace setter for
African athletes who followed thereafter.
Abebe’s victory not only marked the beginning of
great African pride for athletes from the continent
in general, but also became a special historic,
non-violent vendetta for Ethiopians in particular.
Ironically, it was in Rome that fascist Italian
rulers tore the Ethiopian tricolor - an obvious
symbol of our national pride - into demeaning
pieces. They also went on to spit on the monument of
The Lion of Judah, which they had looted from our
country during the invasion. A gallant Ethiopian
fighter, Zerai Deres, had attempted to defend his
country’s flag and monument through violent means,
but it was Abebe Bikila, using his running feet, who
succeeded in peacefully restoring Ethiopia’s
national pride through his monumental achievement.
The Ethiopian flag flew high for everybody to see,
while the national anthem was played loudly for the
rest of the world to hear and witness Adwa replayed
dramatically, to the great embarrassment of the host
country. It was like a God-sent miracle that
Ethiopia could, on that day, hit back at the
Italians in a spot that must have hurt terribly, and
most of all, that it could once again show its
sovereignty, despite the fact that the 42 kilometres
were run barefoot.
Abebe repeated this the record-breaking feat four
years later in Tokyo, once again making history. Yet
another four years later, the late Mammo Wolde took
over the historical torch of victory in Mexico, when
the ailing Abebe had to quit the race after leading
the group for about 15 kilometres. The victorious
‘baton stick’ remained in Ethiopia’s grasp, making
it the first and only country in the world so far to
ever win the Olympic Marathon three times in a row.
Indeed, it was history in the making. Not only was
this victory a source of pride for Ethiopia, but it
was also an amazing revelation of African talent.
Ever since Abebe Bikila set this record victory,
African athletes, particularly East Africans, have
made it their culture to run, and win, long distance
races almost anywhere in the world. This African
dominance, needless to say, has brought with it a
positive image of African prominence in the world of
sports in general, and in the field of athletics in
particular. This monopoly of victory in long
distance athletics has lead the world at large to
associate winning in these races as being the
exclusive mandate of Africans athletes.
Long distance runners like Abebe Bikila, Mammo Wolde
and Miruts Yifter have been legendary role models
for the many athletes who have made names for
themselves and achieved not only personal fame, but
also brought glory to their nations. Some of these
athletes, of the likes of Haile Gabre Selassie and
all those in his league, have emulated their role
models, some even surpassing their predecessors.
Most of them had to shuttle the five or six miles
back and forth from school daily, a routine that
turned out to be a blessing in disguise. These
young, talented athletes were made to join organized
institutions like the Imperial Body Guard, the
Police Force and other well-established clubs. The
rest has become history.
Recognizing Ethiopia’s contribution towards the
consolidation of African Unity, via the field of
athletics, the Confederation has aptly given us the
opportunity to host the 16th edition of the CAA
competitions in Addis Ababa at a time when the
country, as well as over 40 other African States,
are celebrating Ethiopia’s millennium. The stadium
itself has been upgraded to international standards,
with sate-of-the-art facilities, results can be
shown as soon as the races are over.
In recognition of the high honour and respect the
athletes have brought to Africa over the years,
starting from the 1960s, over 40 legendary laureates
were honoured with special awards given to them by
international sport officials and the Prime
Minister, Meles Zenawi. This was done at a special
ceremony held at the Sheraton Addis. It was a
nostalgic occasion that moved us all to see the
“golden oldies” - golden here very literal - come
together and enjoy the celebrations. Incidentally,
while legends like Maria Mottula, still kicking
strongly, were on the list of laureates, Kenenissa
Bekele’s absence from it was baffling.
The preparations for the opening ceremony, held on
the afternoon of the next day, were very
satisfactory, albeit a few shortcomings of
production processes encountered here and there. The
gymnastics by school children, who demonstrated
great artistic talent, were fantastic. Later, the
historical depiction of some folks lying flat on the
field was an activity too incoherent to grasp. In
fact, I mistakenly thought that they were trying to
represent Lucy’s remains. By the way, does anyone
know how she is doing in the States?
I would like to appreciate the tireless
announcements of events, minute by minute, by the
ETV sports reporters who were present, although they
seemed to have no detailed programs in their hands
to give us a foreshadowing of forthcoming
activities. The ETV cameramen could have done better
by focusing on the subjects that were being
discussed, or mentioned, so that there could have
been a synchronization of the pictures to the
stories.
Also to be appreciated is the crowd that diligently
watched the competitions, despite the heavy downpour
on Saturday. Ethiopia collected three medals through
her long distance runners (10 thousand metres).
Gabre Egziabher Gabre Mariam and his compatriots,
Ibrahim Jelan and Eshetu Wondimu, were able to
weaken and frustrate the Kenyan contenders by
changing gears in the middle of the marathon. In
Thursday’s 5000m women’s race, Messelech Melkamu won
the gold medal.
Long distance races seem to be the monopoly a few
families in the Arsi Zone, particularly the Dibaba
women. This is a compliment I have to convey, not
forgetting the glorious female fighter, Meseret
Defar, whose guts I respect and admire. These
competitions point out to the possibility of Africa
once again proving her athletic prowess in Beijing,
some 100 days from now. I take this opportunity, on
behalf of the Ethiopian nation as a whole, to wish
all the African competitors the best of luck. May
the torch of victory, as far as marathons are
concerned, burn steadily while remaining in our
African hands - or shall I say feet!
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