BBC NEWS AT BBC.CO.UK/NEWS
Ethiopian running star Haile Gebrselassie said he is entering politics with the aim of winning a parliamentary seat in the 2015 election. The 40-year-old’s announcement in July 2013 came after long-standing rumors that his running career was drawing to a close.
Haile, who once set a world record time in the marathon, is regarded as a national icon by most Ethiopians. He did not say under which party’s banner he will contest the election. Ethiopia’s Parliament is dominated by the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front. It has only one opposition member.
“Nelson Mandela is my role model,” he said. “The fact that he fought and struggled for his country, for freedom, for change and even had the power to forgive the people who put him through all that misery makes me not give up on my country.”
He did not specify what his platform would be, saying that he has two years until the election to think this through and prepare his campaign. But creating more job opportunities, working on peace and stability, and creating a country free from poverty are some of his dreams.
Haile is a four-time world 10,000-meter champion, and he won gold at the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games. He officially announced his retirement in 2010 but then went on to compete in races after recovering from a knee injury.
In April 2013, he won his third consecutive Vienna half marathon and also took part in the Boston Marathon.
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