Addis Ababa, July 25, 2024 (FBC) – A delegation of Ethiopia national Olympic team has landed in Paris ahead of the 33rd Edition of Summer Olympic Games which will be held in the French capital and other areas of the European nation.
Led by the Ethiopian Athletics Federation President Derartu Tulu, the Ethiopian team was warmly greeted upon arrival at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport by a crowd of Ethiopian Diaspora and the staff of the Embassy of Ethiopia in Paris.
Ethiopia’s Olympic Team will participate in athletics, swimming, and boxing, with a total of 39 athletes representing the country at the prestigious event which is set to officially kick off on Friday 26th of July 2024 and will conclude on August 11, 2024.
The Ethiopian squad features some world record holders and world champions in different categories of athletics sport, including the legendary long distance runner Kenenisa Bekele, women’s marathon record holder Tigist Aseffa, 3000M men’s steeplechase record holder Lamecha Girma, Tokyo Olympic 10000m gold mdallist Selemon Barega, Gudaf Tsegay, among others.
Selemon Barega will defend his 10,000m title while Gudaf Tsegay has been entered for a 1500m, 5000m and 10,000m treble as part of the Ethiopian team for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Barega got gold ahead of Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei and Jacob Kiplimo in Tokyo and he will be joined in the 10,000m in Paris by his compatriots Berihu Aregawi and Yomif Kejelcha, the latter having also been named for the 5000m.
World record-holder Lamecha Girma will go for his first global gold in the 3000m steeplechase after securing silver in Tokyo and at the past three editions of the World Championships.
Tsegay, the Olympic 5000m bronze medallist and world champion in the 5000m in 2022 and 10,000m in 2023, will be joined by world 1500m silver medallist Diribe Welteji in the shorter of the three events.
The marathon will feature world record-holder Tigist Assefa, Amane Beriso and Megertu Alemu in the women’s event, and Kenenisa Bekele, Sisay Lemma and Deresa Geleta in the men’s.
Ethiopia will also be participating in the Olympic Games boxing tournament after 20-year absence. The last time Ethiopian boxers took part in the Olympics was in 2004 in Athens. Yadesa Lemma will represent the country in the boxing category.
Yadesa has been given the African quota by the International Olympic Committee Task Force following the withdrawal of Nigeria’s Omole Dolapo because of a left knee injury.
The 33rd Olympic Games are set to take place in Paris from July 26 to August 11, 2024, featuring a total of 10,714 athletes from 206 countries, including independent athletes competing under the umbrella of the International Olympic Committee and the Olympic Refugee Team. These athletes will compete in 32 sports.