Ethiopian government suspends all sporting events

The Ethiopian government have announced the suspension of all sporting events in the country due to the spread of Covid-19.

According to reports on Tuesday, Ethiopia have five people infected with the coronavirus to date.

Along with all sporting events being suspended until further notice, schools sports have also ceased with the closure of all educational institutions.

Ethiopia is considered a global powerhouse in middle to long-distance running, and athletes are still welcome to continue their training in isolation.

Kenenisa Bekele was due to compete in the London Marathon on April 26, but the event was postponed last week. Bekele was expected to provide the biggest competition for Kenyan world record holder Eliud Kipchoge at the event.

Though there are few runners on the world stage that can actually challenge the undisputed ‘best-ever’ Kipchoge, Bekele is one of them. Bekele ran a 2:01:41 at the Berlin Marathon in September 2019 – two seconds behind the world record set by Kipchoge at the same race a year prior.

In partnership with ANA and Sports Leo