One of the greatest distance runners in history banned from the Olympics - WTF?

Nope. I heard about it, didn't really bother me. I ate lunch and took a nap after I heard the news and I don't think I thought about it again until I read your post.

exactly why are they banned? have they all been on drugs?

WTF? The Ethiopian federation is stupid.

Is it possible for Bekele to compete in 2012 under a different country?

rsg wrote:

exactly why are they banned? have they all been on drugs?

It's basically the Ethiopian federation trying to throw its weight around and show Makke and the others handling the Ethiopians who is supposed to be in control. Kenny just raced overseas, right? I guess EAF didn't give it's express permission, which is likely another way of saying the kickbacks didn't go to the right people. Racing overseas without permission/payola = you are on EAF's shit list.

The story is linked on the homepage:

http://www.letsrun.com/2012/ethiopia-0119.php

No one knows but most likely a powergrab by the Federation to make the athletes run the races the Federation wants.

EthiopiaTF is like USATF 30 years ago.

Long live The Emperor. Gebrselassie will rein again!

Still awaiting confirmation but this wouldn't surprise me. EAF might be in panic mode due to the recent Kenyan success.

In March 1997, at the IAAF Champs in Paris I had to turn over $20,000 to the federation or get banned from being a rep for some of their better runners. Of course, the athletes never got any of it and I got accused of pocketing that cash. ( I was told it was because I was doing a deal with Nike and not adidas.) In May I got a federation deal ($400,000) for them in Japan with a company there but when I got fired by my top athlete (Roba) I never pursued it.

Btw Makke doesn't rep Bekele.

Greedy bunch they are.

chances of the ethiopian brass actually following through with this: 0

so, to EAF - an official letsrun troll rating of 0/10

I think your right! The "kickbacks" didn't go the right people in Sammy's case and look what happened to him! Essentially athletes are whores who always have to pay the Piper or get punished big time!

time to axe the jack-ass athletics federations like the ethopian one as well as so many others.

by banning bekele, the ethopian athletics federation is saying that they are more important than the sport and sportsmen. no doubt, bureaucrats are the leaches that suck out the life's blood of sport.

athletes should band together and tell the federations in no uncertain terms what their function is.

When all is said and done, this will be nothing.

One of the greatest? I would say he IS the greatest. Stupid mistake on their part. If he doesn't win gold this year, and he definitely has the talent and ability, it's because of this.

galen's chances at a medal just went way up.

Not long ago there was an article (interview with his coach I think) about Bekele building his own training arena slash hotel complex somewhere outside Addis Abbeba, by his own money, and this will/would undoubtedly make him a power factor in Ethiopian athletics long after his carreer is over, even more so should he come home with another gold medal after the 2012 olympics.

Surely those in power now has a lot to loose from this, especielly since they are almost certainly already under heavy pressure back home do to the Kenyan Federation successfully commanding their athletes back home for trials and pre champ camps over the last years, and their own "mistake" of cutting Ibrahim Jailan from the team despite him winning the Ethiopian trials before Worlds in 2007 (or was it 2009) and the Olympics in 2008, only covered over by Bekele coming home with the Gold instead.

So they have a generation shift in athletics, a forced generation shift in the federation, and possibly the whole country (not a democracy, remember) is in line for a touch of the Arabian Spring that revolved Tunisia, Egypt and Libya last year. I'd say all the pieces are in place for major turmoil on 2012 team process...

hominy wrote:

galen's chances at a medal just went way up.

No, they didn't. First of all, Bekele will be competing in London, but even if injuries prevent him from competing, Rupp still cannot make the top 3, with or without K. Bekele. Look at Daegu for a clue.

Yeah, obviously this is just a show of power. Bekele will run in London.

Every 10,000 meter runner in the world should stand up and refuse to run. What they do to one, they do to all. No 10,000 at the Olympic Games.

This is how he could get even. Run for Eritrea!!!!!

If they're banned from competition, will they still be drug tested? Seems plausible that they wouldn't be tested. The federation could always come back months down the road and reinstate these athletes, creating a nice little window for the athletes to do some performance enhanced training.