11 May 2008
Addis Ababa — Ethiopian athletes pulled out of Friday's Doha Super Grand Prix meet because of political tension between the two countries, the Qatar Association of Athletic Federation (QAAF) said on Friday.
"We had prepared everything for them: the visa, the tickets and everything," Dahlan Al-Hamad, the president of the Qatar athletics federation said on the federations' official website.
"Unfortunately politics got in the way of sports," he added.
Last month, Ethiopia broke off diplomatic relations with Qatar, saying the energy-rich Gulf state had become a source of instability in the Horn of Africa.
It cited Qatar's relations with Eritrea, Ethiopia's long-standing feud and Al-jazeera for for its anti-Ethiopia propaganda campaigns.
Seven Ethiopian athletes were on the starting list of Friday's meeting, including indoor world champions Deresse Mekonnen in the 1,500 meters and Tariku Bekele in the 3,000.
"I would like to wish them good luck for their future events and also Beijing Olympics," Dahlan, who is also a Vice President of IAAF, said.
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