 |
| Tariku Bekele © Gallo Images |
Ethiopian athletes pulled out of Friday's Doha Super Grand Prix meet in Qatar because of political tension between the two countries, organisers said.
"We had prepared everything for them: the visa, the tickets and
everything," said Dahlan Al-Hamad, the president of the Qatar athletics
federation. "Unfortunately politics got into sports."
Last month, Ethiopia broke off diplomatic relations with Qatar,
saying the energy-rich Gulf state had become a source of instability in
the Horn of Africa. It cited Qatar's relations with Eritrea, which is
involved in a long-standing feud with Ethiopia over their border.
Qatar said it was astonished by the diplomatic action and denied the
accusations that it is hurting Ethiopia's security.
Seven Ethiopian athlete were on the starting list of Friday's
meeting, including indoor world champions Deresse Mekonnen in the 1 500
metres and Tariku Bekele in the 3 000.
Al-Hamad said the IAAF world athletics federation would look into
the matter.
 | |  | | | Remember to go to www.supersport.com on your Mobile phone and keep in touch with the latest scores wherever you are. |  |
| |  | |  |
|
