Gebre: Africa stands to win should Kenya host World Championship

Distance running legend Haile Gebrselassie believes Kenya has what it takes to host the World Athletics Championships, the crown jewel of the global athletics competitions calendar, in 2025.

In a wide-ranging interview with Nation Sport at his home in Addis Ababa, the two-time Olympics 10,000 metres champion said Kenya has shown that it is capable of hosting global championships.

“Kenya has shown that it can host bigger events and when this happens, we all benefit as Africa. I still remember the World Cross Country Championships held in Mombasa in 2007 which was a world-class event,” he said.

Other than the 2007 World Cross Country Championships held in Mombasa, Kenya also hosted the 2017 World Athletics Under-18 Championships, and the delayed 2020 World Athletics Under-20 Championships. Both were held at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani.

Kenya has put in a bid for the senior track and field championships, and Gebrselassie believes a win for Kenya will be a win for Africa.

“If Kenya hosts the event, the country will benefit economically. Other African countries stand to benefit, so they should offer their support for Kenya so that we have more of these competitions being held in Africa,” the retired athlete, who runs a successful business in hospitality, agriculture, education, real estate and motor vehicle dealership in Addis Ababa, told Nation Sport at his office located at the Haile and Alem International in the Ethiopian capital city a day after the 2022 Great Ethiopian Run.

Other than empowering ordinary folk in Ethiopia by providing employment, Gebreselassie also empowers Ethiopian athletes by organising races. He is the brain behind the Great Ethiopian Run, an annual 10km road race held in Addis Ababa that attracts up to 45,000 participants.

The competition, managed by Dagmawit Amare, has a prize purse of Sh1.1 billion and attracts competitors from Kenya.

Apart from Great Ethiopian Run, he is also involved in Hawassa Half Marathon, Women 5km race in March, Europe Day children races in May and Entoto Park Predator Run which takes place every month. He is currently setting up an athletics museum.

The 49-year-old athletics legend has many titles and he is two-time 10,000m Olympics champion, four-time world 10,000m champion, four-time World Indoor champion in 3,000m and 1,500m, and World Junior champion in 5,000m and 10,000m. He also won the World Half Marathon champion once.

He spoke of the pain he felt upon getting news of the death of record-breaking runner Agnes Tirop who was murdered at her home last October.

He is a big champion of the campaign against domestic abuse and believes couples should respect one another and draw a line on their relationships.

“Be it a boyfriend, girlfriend, husband or wife, we need to draw the borderline to have a successful career. We were saddened by the death of Tirop who was an upcoming athlete and she didn’t have to die in a such manner. As Ethiopians, we felt sorry for her family and the entire nation for losing her.

“We have a similar problem in Ethiopia of marital abuse. To grow as an athlete, there is need to always have the right people around you. Don’t go out partying and treating yourself all the time like a king or queen because in the end, you will be poor and friends will run away from you,” Gebrselassie said.

Gebreselassie said the Covid-19 pandemic caught athletes unawares, leading to loss of lives and livelihoods globally.

He reckons the biggest lesson for athletes is to invest their earnings wisely to guarantee economic stability in the future.

“Covid-19 came at a time when we least expected and two years down the line, we are still struggling to recover. Athletes could not compete and they lost income. My worry is the future. We have seen race organizers change competition dates and courses. Also, more races are still not back, which is a worrying trend.

“If you think about running, you need prize money, appearance fee among other funds that come with the organization of a race and it is expensive,” the athletics legend said.

Drawing from his own example, he advises athletes to always invest income from athletics wisely, saying that it has worked for him and he is now enjoying the benefits and has employed more than 3,000 people in his companies.

“I’m not bragging but I normally use myself as an example to many athletes that they need to invest on whatever small money they get. I remember one time as I was competing and one person came to me and asked why I should continue yet I have millions of dollars and I told him I didn’t have anything substantial in my view and that I was working on my retirement investments,” the 49-year-old said.

He reckons Africa should stage more local competitions to help athletes develop their careers.

“We managed to stage the 2021 Total Energies Great Ethiopian Run International 10km road race after postponing it due to the political instability in our country. It has always helped many athletes locally identify their potential and earn something small.

“It has also helped them get professional managers because that’s where coaches and managers pick athletes and sponsor them to various races,” he said.

He is married to Alem Gebrselassie and they have four children - Eden, Melat, Bete and Nathan.

[email protected]