Organizers of the AG Memorial Van Damme have announced that world 1500m and 10,000m champion Sifan Hassan will attempt to break the one-hour world record at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Brussels on 4 September.
The Dutch distance runner will have to cover more than 18.517km within 60 minutes to break the record set in 2008 by Ethiopia’s Dire Tune. If she is at her best, that distance should be within Hassan’s capabilities; when she set a half marathon PB of 1:05:15 in 2018, Hassan covered roughly 19.375km during the first hour.
Hassan is familiar with the track in the King Baudouin Stadium. Having set national records there for 3000m in 2014 and the mile in 2015, last year she secured the Diamond League title over 5000m in the Belgian capital. Aside from her unique double at the World Championships in Doha, Hassan’s momentous 2019 season also included a world mile record of 4:12.33 in Monaco, a European 3000m record of 8:18.49 in Stanford, and a European 5000m record of 14:22.12 in London.
An attack on the men’s one-hour world record (Haile Gebreselassie’s 21.285km) had been previously announced with four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah and Belgian Bashir Abdi set to take on the challenge. They will now be joined by Norway’s Sondre Moen, who has set his sights on breaking the European record of 20.944km set by Jos Hermens in 1976.
Sifan to attack Ethiopian Dere Tune’s world record in Brussels
2020 Paris, Frankfurt Marathon events cancelled
IAAF announced that the 2020 Paris and Frankfurt marathons are cancelled. The events that brings together 65,000 participants in to Paris was moved twice before the Federations final decision while organizers of Germans longest established Frankfurt Marathon that boasts 10,000 racers sent their greetings to see all in 2021.
“Faced with the difficulty that many runners, especially those coming from abroad, had in making themselves available for the 14th / 15th November, it was decided that it would be better and simpler for those concerned if we organized the Schneider Electric Marathon de Paris in 2021.”The race organizers have decided to cancel the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon 2020. The 39th edition of Germany’s oldest city marathon was to have taken place on 25 October. “We have not taken this step of cancellation lightly and have done our utmost to find solutions and alternatives,” says race director Jo Schindler. “Now we have to face the cold reality that cancellation is inevitable.
The Frankfurt event, held annually since 1981, is the second biggest in Germany behind the Berlin Marathon. 27000 runners took part in 2019 where Ethiopian Fikre Tefera won the men’s event while Kenyan Valary Aiyabei set a new course record to win the women’s event in 2:19.10. Kenya’s Wilson Kipsang holds the Frankfurt course record of 2:03.42.
ECA, Ethiopia launch Decade of Action with tree planting, green jobs, livelihoods and health
The Economic Commission for Africa and the Government of Ethiopia signed an MoU, Thursday, to kick off a four-year USD 3.6 million project on nature-based solutions for water resources infrastructure and community resilience in Ethiopia. The programme was launched through extensive tree planting efforts carried out in four regions over the last week in Amhara, Oromia and Addis Ababa; and later in Afar, where activities have been postponed due to flooding. According to the MoU, the collaboration is conceived as a tangible step forward towards the Decade of Action, by supporting the Government of Ethiopia to invest in nature-based solutions to tackle climate change and foster a ‘Green Recovery’.
The project takes off against the backdrop of African countries losing 3-5% of their GDP on climate change and access to clean energy challenges that have a tragic gender dimension; the majority of the over 3 million people who die from indoor air pollution due to inefficient cooking practices are women in Africa. The initiative aims to stimulate green jobs, improve community livelihoods, enhance the health of rural women and girls, and build climate resilience through nature-based solutions to deforestation and ecosystem degradation.
Speaking at the kick-off event in Addis Ababa, Economic Commission for Africa’s Executive Secretary, Vera Songwe said, “Nature-based solutions for climate action create jobs and contribute to the achievement of the Decade of Action. Today, we begin a journey of hope, of economic development and of better health for women in Ethiopia.”
Chinese government donates COVID-19 prevention items
Tan Jian, the Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia, on behalf of Prof. Peng Liyuan, wife of the Chinese President Xi Jinping, handed over COVID-19 prevention items including facial masks and infrared thermometers to the office of the First Lady of Ethiopia in a bid to help the host country’s effort to combat the pandemic.
Amb. Tan expressed appreciation of the solidarity and support to the Chinese people given by many African countries, particularly Ethiopia, at the most difficult time when China was hit the hardest by the COVID-19. He noted that as a token of friendship between the Chinese people and their African brothers and sisters, the Chinese government has decided to donate medical supplies to help mothers, children and young people through the Office of the First Lady.
Muluken Fenta, Director of Ethiopia’s First Lady Office, expressed thanks for the generous donation by the Chinese government. “As the first country to successfully control the spread of the pandemic, China sets an exemplary role of standing together with Africa to combat the COVID-19 virus and has made great contribution to the prevention and control of the pandemic in Ethiopia,” he said during the ceremony.
