The 2015 World 10,000m silver medalist Champion, Gelete Burka will be aiming to lower her own record at the 47th edition of the Ottawa Marathon now renamed to Tartan Ottawa International Marathon that will be held on May 29,2022 in Ottawa, Canada.
Burka comes to this race with a personal best of 2:20.45 that she got at the 2018 Dubai Marathon where she finished in sixth place. She holds the race course record with a time of 2:22.10 that she set in the same year and hopes that Ottawa will add pacers who can push her to run under 2:19 which she hopes she is capable of achieving.
Burka is faithful to her church, The Glorious Life Church where attends without fail as she is also an usher and a member of the forty-member choir.
The 36 year-old has a rich cabinet as she is the 2008 World Indoor 1500m Champion, the 2006 World Cross Country champion
Burka has represented Ethiopia in six successive world outdoor championships and three Olympics. In Rio Olympics six years ago, she finished fifth in the 10,000m with a personal best of 30:26.66. Had it not been for a slight on the part of the Ethiopian Athletics Federation (EAF) a year later, she might never have turned to the marathon.
“In 2017 I was in the Netherlands at the Ethiopian trials for the world championships. I took the top honors in the 10,000m with a time of 30:40.87, but the EAF never selected me to the team for the world championships in London,” she explains, her smile having vanished now. “After that I stopped track and that is the point when I went to the marathon. So, I trained for the Dubai Marathon where I ran a lifetime best of 2:20.45.” A year later she won the 2019 Paris Marathon in 2:22.47, then finished third in Chicago in a time of 2:20.55.
Gelete Burka targets her own record in Ottawa
Cameroon and Senegal WC Qualification in question
Following the second leg matches of the world cup qualifiers, Algerian and Egyptian football federations had referred their case to FIFA.
The Algerian Football Federation (FAF) said, the appeal it lodged with FIFA to request a replay against Cameroon will be heard on April 21. Following the second-leg fixture The Fennecs lost on March 29, the FAF regretted what it called “outrageous” refereeing decisions.
A FIFA verdict is also expected on April 21. If replay decisions are rare, many Algerian supporters are still hopeful their squad may have a chance to play in the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
However, the Algerian federation is not the only one awaiting a FIFA decision. Senegal may face sanctions after Egyptian Football Federation (EFF) filed a complaint against it for “violence” and “racism”. Photos published by the Egyptian Federation on social media showed broken windows of the bus carrying the Pharaohs, insulting banners against Mohamed Salah as well as Senegalese fans terraced making derogatory gestures to Egyptian players.
The Ghana-Nigeria fixture played on the same night, March 29, saw riot scenes. Super Eagles fans invaded the pitch of the Moshood Abiola Stadium, in Abuja. Ghana’s players had to run off the pitch and were blocked during “little over an hour”. It is eventually the Police who “escorted [them] to [their] hotel”. Nigeria could be sanctioned by football’s international governing body.
Ethiopia hosts AFCON U-17 qualifiers while Tanzania to stage three tournaments
The council of East and Central African Football Associations (CECAFA) this week confirmed the countries that will host seven tournaments to be played in 2022.
CECAFA Executive Director, Auka Gecheo said after receiving bids last month, the Executive Committee met via zoom on Tuesday to evaluate the bids and make the final decision on the different hosts.
Ethiopia will host the AFCON U-17 qualifiers, while Sudan who have not hosted any CECAFA competition for a long time now will host the AFCON qualifiers.
Uganda will host the first tournament of the season, CECAFA Senior Women’s Championship slated for May 22- to June 5th. Uganda will also host the inaugural zonal qualifiers the CAF Pan African School Cup.
It should be noted that this is the second time Uganda will host the CECAFA Senior Women’s Championship, the first coming in 2016.
Uganda and Burundi who qualified for this year’s Africa Women Cup of Nations will use the regional tournament as a precursor for the continental showpiece.
Tanzania will host three tournaments including CAF Women’s champions League qualifiers, CECAFA U-23 Championship which also doubles as the AFCON U-23 qualifiers and the CECAFA Kagme Cup. The dates for the rest of the tournaments will be confirmed at a later date.
The Ministry of Finance (MoF) lifts conditions of the foreign currency amount and the source for the import of basic commodities through franco valuta scheme
In a letter issued on Friday April 8 and sent to Customs Commission MoF disclosed that it passed a decision that Ethiopians who live aboard and the diaspora can import basic commodities under franco valuta.
The new announcement is the replacement of the decision that it issued about a year ago. In April 2021 MoF allowed the diaspora and Ethiopians who live abroad can import consumer goods on franco valuta, while the National Bank of Ethiopia was assigned to confirm the source of the hard currency.
The previous announcement imposed a minimum smount of USD 250, 000 value of commodities as requirement for the import of the items.
However in the latest move the ministry has lifted such restrictions. Ahmed Shide, Minister of Finance told Capital that the government has decided to lift the minimum requirement for the import of the basic goods.
“Any one who lives abroad including the diaspora can import the stated commodities with any volume and value,” he explained.
Ahmed added that the new decision will be applicabe for at least six months, “we will review based on the circumstances but now we can say that it can be applied for the coming six months.”
Now reviewing the source of the foreign currency is not also a mandatory.
Edible oil, wheat, sugar, instant milk for infants, and rice are the commodities that can be imported through franco valuta.
