Addis Ababa, April 3, 2024 (FBC) – President of the Ethiopian Athletics Federation, Deratu Tulu, has received the Patent of Decoration “the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette” in FY2023 Autumn from the government of Japan, in a ceremony held on 2nd April 2024 at the Embassy of Japan in Addis Ababa.
The Japanese Embassy, in a press note sent to FBC, noted that Commissioner Derartu has contributed to sports diplomacy and exchanges in track and field between Japan and Ethiopia since she won a gold medal in the 2001 Tokyo International Women’s Marathon. She assisted in organizing a meeting of young Ethiopian runners with the late Prime Minister ABE Shinzo in Addis Ababa in 2014, and he donated running shoes to them. Furthermore, in 2019, she accepted the first Japanese long-distance athletes at the Addis Ababa Sports Academy and played a central role in coordinating joint training with Ethiopian long-distance athletes in and around Addis Ababa, contributing significantly to strengthening the Japanese long-distance athletes.
Commissioner Derartu also made a significant contribution to deepening cultural ties between Japan and Ethiopia. She coordinated with then President Girma and ensured that the processes for the restoration of the Japanese Garden at the Presidential Palace in 2012 went smoothly. After the restoration of the Japanese Garden, she organised a Japanese tea ceremony and Ethiopian coffee ceremony in the Garden together with a Japanese tea ceremony master who visited Ethiopia from Japan.
Derartu received the award from the Ambassador of Japan to Ethiopia, Shibata Hironori.
During the ceremony, Ambassador Shibata hoped that Commissioner Derartu will keep contributing to the promotion of sports exchanges between Japan and Ethiopia and encourage Ethiopian youth and young athletes to find interest in training in Japan, as well as invite many Japanese youth and athletes to train in Ethiopia.
According to the Japanese Embassy, the Decorations are awarded to individuals with outstanding achievements in international fields, in order to acknowledge their contributions to the promotion of friendship between Japan and other countries and areas. The Decorations also aim to promote the understanding and support of the Japanese public for the activities of the recipients.