10th July, 2013
Ethiopian athletics legend Haile Gebrselassie said Wednesday he would enter politics in his country, with plans to contest for a seat in parliament in two years time.
“A lot of messages in the news about me going into politics,” the 40-year old two-time Olympic 10,000m champion said in a message posted on his Twitter account.
“Yes, I want to be in the parliament in 2015 to help my country to move forward.”
Gebrselassie, a four-time world 10,000m champion, has in the past made no secret of his ambition to enter politics.
Ethiopia’s parliament is dominated by the ruling party, with only one opposition member.
Still an active runner, Gebrselassie in April won his third consecutive Vienna half marathon, clocking a time of 1hr 1min 14sec.
He also took part in the Boston marathon in April, which was hit by a double bomb attack that killed three people.