AP article-Good sign for Kenenisa. Haile Gebrselassie, other athletes protest at Ethiopia federation

Rival me this wrote:

I could be wrong, but I feel like I've heard Geb and Bekele don't really like each other so I was surprised to see Geb going to bat for him. Things must be that bad.

you are wrong

Did this interview occur before or after that protest? is it Final that Bekele won't be at Rio?

rjm33 wrote:

Excellent work Ethio!

I had no idea you would be able to get a protest organized so quickly. Haile the Emperor joining the protest is a very strong statement. Keep the pressure on the federation.

This is a positive Update Bekele.

I thought it is a positive as well, then I found out Kenenisa in the interview he gave yesterday said" he won't be in the team if the selector change their pick and put him back on the team."

Ethio wrote:

rjm33 wrote:

Excellent work Ethio!

I had no idea you would be able to get a protest organized so quickly. Haile the Emperor joining the protest is a very strong statement. Keep the pressure on the federation.

This is a positive Update Bekele.

I thought it is a positive as well, then I found out Kenenisa in the interview he gave yesterday said" he won't be in the team if the selector change their pick and put him back on the team."

I couldn't listen to the interview but from what you've said and reading the articles about the protest, something doesn't add up for me. The protests all say Gebrselassie was protesting the fact Bekele wasn't chosen....so isn't the point of a protest is to reverse that?

Also, if Bekele said its too late, its only 7 days after the decision...I find it hard to beleive he couldn't get prepared for Rio if they reversed the selection considering his prep for london marathon!

Ethio wrote:

Rival me this wrote:

I could be wrong, but I feel like I've heard Geb and Bekele don't really like each other so I was surprised to see Geb going to bat for him. Things must be that bad.

you are wrong

King Geb and Bekele have always been great teammates. They not only do team work in global races, but they work together even in individual races (like golden league races). Just watch this (especially starting at 3:00). When trying to take down the then best 5k runner, look how Geb and Bekele work together (tho the plan still wasn't enough). Geb pushes the pace and moves out of the way for Bekele to pass in the last 200m.

Tron wrote:

Ethio wrote:

It is really sad, this so called selectors needs to be investigated for the good of future athlete. Hopefully we will see Kenenisa at the next Berlin marathon with a dominant performance.

Did this interview occur before or after that protest? is it Final that Bekele won't be at Rio?

I believe the interview was after. I wish it was before tho!

This times a million. I was just going to post something similar. If you've previously won a gold medal in the Olympics you should NOT have to waste your time/effort/etc on qualifying for that specific event. I think it would make for more quality fields especially in track. Michael Phelps should be able to do whatever event he wants in the Olympics. No way these ex gold medalists are going to show up to the Olympics out of shape either. It's not in their mindset. If they show up they're planning on winning another gold.

disgraceful_admin wrote:

Olympic Wild Card Qualifications

Auto-qualifier: An Olympic Gold Medalist or Olympic Record Holder in any event, is automatically qualified for the Olympics regardless of home national selection rules if he/she has the qualifying A mark for an event of choice. This auto-qualifier does not count toward those athletes a country is allowed to send.

Qualification by Panel of Judges: An Olympic Medalist or Record Holder without the standard A mark can appeal independently to the IAAF for Wild Card selection if the home nation does not select the Olympic team with a home trial.

I am interested to see what you all think of these hypotheticals.

Tron wrote:

Ethio wrote:

I thought it is a positive as well, then I found out Kenenisa in the interview he gave yesterday said" he won't be in the team if the selector change their pick and put him back on the team."

I couldn't listen to the interview but from what you've said and reading the articles about the protest, something doesn't add up for me. The protests all say Gebrselassie was protesting the fact Bekele wasn't chosen....so isn't the point of a protest is to reverse that?

Also, if Bekele said its too late, its only 7 days after the decision...I find it hard to beleive he couldn't get prepared for Rio if they reversed the selection considering his prep for london marathon!

I think my personal opinion is if the federation change their mind within a few days, highly likely kenenisa might change his mind. The same time I know almost all Ethiopian authorities are stubborn & see putting Kenenisa back to the team as a defeat. Now the only thing that will change their mind is political intervention not athlete protesting. They don't care about the athletes in the first place.

[quote]Heartbroken!i wrote:

You know what Bekele also said? He said, "The reason I'd been complaining/arguing to get selected was not really for my own goods, it's more of for my country. It has been a very loong time since Ethiopia has won an Olympic or World Champs gold in the marathon, and I was going to achieve that!"

And when Bekele says that, he means it,...all the other runners are going for 2nd or 3rd knowing Kipchoge is there, but Bekele was going for the win! And he was going to do it! Remember how he took down Farah in his half marathon debut! He knows how to win!

Sorry, Heartbroken, but it's quite an assumption to make that the others are only running for 2nd place. Of course they want to win.

Renato Canova? Care to share any thoughts? What's next for Bekele at this point? Where is he gearing his training, for a fall marathon?

What if the current selection does well and somehow pulls out a win? Will all be forgiven? At least Ethiopia doesn't have politicians running in Rio like our Wesley.

One mega-doper protesting on behalf of another mega-doper.

Haile questionable wrote:

One mega-doper protesting on behalf of another mega-doper.

Proof. Doping doesn't alone make you run 2617 or 1237. U need talent. Otherwise Mo n rupp run similar time by now

Clean sport wrote:

The young and inexperienced athletes already picked to the team should be pre-selected for next year's world championship especially that there are five spots to be filled.

There are only three spots on the World Championships marathon teams these days. Or have you seen something saying it is changing back?

Have you considered the possibility that getting beaten by Kipchoge by over a kilometer in London might have done something to Kenny's motivation?

NOP Skeptic wrote:

Renato Canova? Care to share any thoughts? What's next for Bekele at this point? Where is he gearing his training, for a fall marathon?

I was expecting this kind of questions from the Amharic interviewer on EBS too, what's next for Bekele if no Olympics, but the interviewer didn't ask that. :/

Looks like the decision to keep Bekele off the team could have been due to politically-related tribal reasons:

http://afkinsider.com/127179/ethiopia-discriminating-on-bekele/

There's definitely a nonsense reason why Bekele is left out, but his tribe can't really be the reason because the other 3 selected (Lemi, Abera, and Feyisa) are of the same tribe as Bekele's, which they're all Oromo,..and so is Lelisa Desisa, but Yemane Tsegaye is of Tigray Tribe.

Disgraceful_Admin wrote:

"I also think that the International Olympic Committee or the IAAF should step in when situations get like this and add a wild card spot or two, especially for former Olympic Champions."

This is utterly stupid for numerous reasons:

1) There is already an international court for arbitration in sport.

2) Past Olympic champions only need to train to peak once every four years whilst everyone else has to qualify.

3) Ken. B. isn't currently defending Oly, champ at anything. His world records were over 10 years ago!! And these were in the 5000m and 10000m.

4) The current IAAF system of allowing defending champs free qualification to the next world champs, is the single biggest issue ruining the world champs. Allowing Jamaica and the US in the sprints and Ethiopia, Kenya and Morocco in distance events, particularly the latter allows for extreme team tactics whereby two takeout an excellent individual solely representing another country via boxing them in, whilst the other two gallop off to win gold and silver (and even bronze). Just look at the Olympic cycling road race where riders slow up the chasing peloton. Look at the 2005 WCs were the now disgraced Russians won the women's races with four in the race. The $ from medals was funnelled back into the systemic doping body. Added to the feed back loop encompassing number 2).

5) Where does this end, can Australia etc send four in swimming events, China send four for table tennis and diving, Iran and Kazakhstan in weightlifting. Where will it end and bankrupt Brazil can't afford the Olympics at the current size!!!

6) The IOC and IAAF are corrupt and we need less things for them to oversee not more.