Triple Olympic gold medal winner Kenenisa Bekele said he was bitterly disappointed to be left out of Ethiopia’s team for the Rio Olympics and blamed members of the country’s athletics federation he said knew nothing of the sport.
“I’m deeply disappointed and sad. I have long overcome my Achilles tendon injury and I was ready for the challenge,” the 34-year-old told French sports daily L’Equipe yesterday. The 5,000 and 10,000 metres world record holder was left out of the marathon team having not run enough big races over the past year.
“The federation set a criteria they knew very well would rule me out,” he added. “I finished third in the London marathon (in April) when I was far from 100 % fit. I’d done my preparation in full. Everyone knows that London is the toughest marathon except the people from the federation. There is a group there that know nothing about athletics.
“According to their criteria I’m only seventh in the selection list. That they did not consider what I have done for Ethiopian athletics is one thing, but the problem is that they have not considered than my performances have been no worse than those who have been selected.”
Bekele won gold in the 10,000 metres at the Athens Olympics in 2004, and in the 5,000 and 10,000 metres in Beijing four years later. The Ethiopian Athletics Federation have picked 2016 Tokyo marathon winner Feyisa Lilesa and 2015 Boston champion Lelisa Desisa as well as Lemi Berhanu and Tesfaye Abera to run the marathon in Rio.
Ethiopia’s preparation for the Games, which begin on Aug. 5, have been disrupted by concerns over their drug-testing systems, after the IAAF governing body said in March that it was one of five countries that were in “critical care”.
The east African nation, which alongside neighbour Kenya has for many years dominated distance running on the track and roads, subsequently announced that it would carry out doping tests on up to 200 athletes. The Ethiopian Athletics Federation last week banned two athletes, Taemo Shumye and Sentayehu Merga, for four years after they tested positive for banned substances. The federation said four other athletes remain under investigation by the World Anti-Doping Agency and the IAAF for doping.

Collins named for sixth Olympics at age 40
Former 100m world champion Kim Collins has been named to his sixth Olympics at the age of 40 after settling issues with the St. Kitts and Nevis Olympic Committee. “So my friends, it’s now officially been confirmed! I’m going to Rio2016,” Collins tweeted.
Collins, who won the 2003 world 100m crown at Paris, and his homeland’s Olympic officials released a joint statement confirming the agreement “following closure on the long-standing issues between the two parties.”
In 2012 at London, Collins was pulled from the Olympic team for missing training sessions while the sprinter said he was being punished for spending time with his wife. “I am extremely happy that our longstanding issues have finally been put to rest and I will once again have the honor of representing my country,” Collins said. “With this behind us, my coach and I will now continue to put our full focus on ensuring that I am in the best shape for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.”
The issues were discussed last Saturday in a telephone call between Collins, his wife and coach Paula and St. Kitts and Nevis Olympic officials. Collins said he wanted to run in Rio again for his homeland and “removed from the table any other claims and/or applications of representation at the Rio Olympic Games,” the statement said.
“I personally welcome this new development and am pleased that Mr. Collins is now willing to compete for his country,” said St. Kitts and Nevis Olympic Committe president Alphonso Bridgewater, who said the two will work together with “renewed goodwill.”
Collins must sign the committee’s standard athlete contract to complete the agreement. Collins ran in his first Olympics in 1996 at Atlanta, reaching the second round in the 100. He made the final in 2000 at Sydney, the first athlete from his nation to reach an Olympic final, and placed seventh. He was sixth at the 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing Games before not being able to run in London.