Haile Gebrselassie donates to Ethiopia coronavirus fund

Highly acclaimed athletics legend, Haile Gebrselassie, has donated almost US$50,000 to help fight the coronavirus outbreak in his home country, Ethiopia.

The money will go to the Covid-19 National Resource Mobilisation Committee, which was set up by the Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, last week.

Upon declaring his donation, Haile said “It’s not time for profit but to save lives. We need to support the government at this crucial time and support one another.

“This is a very different time we are in. Everything’s locked down and sporting events have been cancelled all over the world, so we have to be able to support our community”.

In total, the runner is donating 1.5m Ethiopian birr, 1m of which will be taken from a range of his businesses, while the remaining sum will come from the Great Ethiopian Run, an event founded by the Olympic champion. 

The Mobilisation Committee is tasked with coordinating the country’s response to the pandemic, and will gather funds and equipment to assist in preparations.

“Such periods require the effort and contribution of each individual”, Prime Minister Abiy said last week.

“Our collective and concerted efforts to help one another in times of great need will be the only way we overcome”.

Gebrselassie was joined by Abiy in contributing to the cause, when the Prime Minister donated a month of his salary to the Mobilisation Committee.

Sports stars from across the continent have rallied to help battle the coronavirus in their respective countries.

Sadio Mane, Liverpool’s talisman who hails from Senegal, has already donated €45,000 to the national committee fighting the virus there.

Haile is Ethiopia’s most successful and celebrated athlete, having won 10,000m gold in both the 1996 and 2000 Olympic games, in addition to four World Championship titles between 1993 and 1999.

Since retiring from the sport, the former marathon world record holder, now 46, has gone on to become an accomplished businessman.

Photo: Getty Images