Last night we held the world premiere of a short film commissoned by the British Embassy, Addis Ababa, called “Hopes of Ethiopia” – which features 3 young Ethiopian athletes as they overcome obstacles to prepare to compete at London 2012.
The showing was attended by Ambassadors, senior officials and sports and media personalities. But we were especially pleased to have with us the 3 athletes – Tesfalem (Paralympian 800 and 1,500 metres runner), Yanet (Ethiopia’s first ever female Olympic swimmer) and Mohamed (a strong contender for gold in theOlympics 800 metres) – and their families. Marathon champion Gebrezgiabher Gebremariam also joined us to make a short speech.
Especially enthusiastic readers can find my speech introducing the film here. I hope I made clear that there is a wider message to the film – how determination, commitment and optimism can help many young Ethiopians (not just sportsmen and sportswomen) achieve their ambitions in their chosen fields.
