Ethiopia’s Country Profile
Official country name: Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
Area: 435,186 sq miles (1,127,127 sq km)
Population: 76.5 million (2007 est.)
Median age: 18.1
Ethnic Groups: Oromo 32.1%, Amara 30.1%, Tigraway 6.2%, Somalie 5.9%, Guragie 4.3%, Sidama 3.5%, Welaita 2.4%, other 15.4% (1994 census, CIA Factbook)
GDP and GDP per capita: $19.4 billion and $253 (2007 estimates)
Languages: Amarigna 32.7%, Oromigna 31.6%, Tigrigna 6.1%, Somaligna 6%, Guaragigna 3.5%, Sidamigna 3.5%, Hadiyigna 1.7%, other 14.8%, English (major foreign language taught in schools)
Read a complete country profile of Ethiopia
Ethiopia’s Olympic History
First time represented at Summer Olympics: 1956
Gold medals won: 18
Silver: 6
Bronze: 14
Athletes at the Beijing Olympics: 36
Number of Sports competing in at Beijing Olympics: 1 (Track & Field)
Medals at 2008 Beijing Olympics: 7
Ethiopia’s Olympic Playbook
Ethiopia is the one-hit wonder of the Summer Olympics: All running, all the time. And Ethiopians don’t mess around. If they’re going to win anything, they’re usually going to make sure it’s gold. The country’s first two medals were gold, brought home, in 1960 and 1964, by marathonet Abebe Bikila. Mamo Wolde kept the marathon gold in Ethiopia at the 1968 Olympics, with Mamo Wolde winning the silver in the 10,000m, making Ethiopia’s first four medals gold-gold-gold and silver. The trend has pretty much continued, netting the country—at some 76 million, one of the most populous of Africa, but also one of the poorest and most prone to war—15 gold, five silver and 12 bronze.
That fifteenth gold, by the way, was the first of the 2008 Olympics, won by Tirunesh Dibaba in the 10,000m in a wonderful race where she put on the sprints in the final lap to overtake Turkish runner Elvan Abeylegesse. Dibaba’s golden time: 29:54.66, an Olympic record. (On June 6, 2008, Dibaba broke the world record in the 5,000m with a time of 14 minutes 11.15 seconds, at the Bislett Games.)
Ethiopia had high hopes for its 36-athlete, star-studded squad in Beijing, looking to surpass its best tally at any Olympics, reached in Sydney eight years ago (four gold, one silver, three bronze). For all their success, the beauty of Ethiopian running isn’t just in the medals. It’s in the style and the excitement these runners bring to the track. They’re not just runners. They’re artists on speed.
Ethiopia’s Athletes at the 2008 Beijing Olympics
Track & Field/Athletics
Derese Mekonnen
Mulugeta Wondimu
Mekonnen Gebremedhin
Demma Daba
Nahom Mesfin
Roba Gari
Yacob Jarso
Kenenisa Bekele (Wins Gold in 10,000m and 5,000m, men)
Tariku Bekele
Abraham Cherkos
Ali Abdosh
Sileshi Sihine (Wins Silver in 10,000m, men)
Haile Gebrselassie
Ibrahim Jeylan
Tsegaye Kebede (Won Bronze in men's marathon
Deriba Mergia
Gudisa Shentema
Gashaw Melese
Gelete Burka
Meskerem Assefa
Zemzem Ahmed
Mekdes Bekele
Sofia Assefa
Tirunesh Dibaba
Meseret Defar (Won Bronze in Women's 5,000m)
Meselech Melkamu
Belaynesh Fekadu
Mestawet Tufa
Tirunesh Dibaba (Won gold in 10,000m and gold in 5,000m)
Ejgayehou Dibaba
Wude Ayalew
Gete Wami
Berhane Adere
Bezunesh Bekele
Dire Tune
