Ethiopian great, Gebrselassie, aims to lead athletics federation

Ethiopia’s athletics great, Haile Gebrselassie, is vying for the presidency of the athletics federation in polls that take place over the weekend. The Ethiopian Athletics Federation (EAF) elects new leaders on Sunday, November 6 2016.

“I am looking forward to use this experience and work together with all the people involved in EAF to bring Ethiopian athletics to a higher level.

“Athletics changed my life completely and I am thankful for that, I have gained a lot of experience throughout my athletics career and now it is time to give back to my country and sport,’‘ the 43-year old is quoted to have said.

Gebrselassie who has brought the country a lot of glory in long-distance events had a stellar career which spanned over two decades, since 1992 when he won the 5000m and 10,000m titles at the World Junior Championships.

Over the duration of his active days, he set 27 world records and 61 Ethiopian records, as well as winning two Olympic gold medals and eight world titles both indoors and out.

In addition to his athletics career, Haile is also a businessman and employs more than 2000 people in several businesses back home. Local media reports that he is involved in real estate projects, owns four hotels, a coffee plantation and is the distributor for Hyundai in Ethiopia.

He is also a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations and is involved in tree planting and road projects. He has built several schools in his residential area.