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Profile of Team Ethiopia and Olympic History

Ethiopia has 31 Olympic medals and all have been won in distance events in athletics. The first was Abebe Bikila, who won gold running barefoot in the Rome marathon. Then four years later, in shoes, became the first dual Olympic marathon champion.

Then came two great names of distance running, Mamo Wolde and Miruts Yifter, who both won three Olympic medals across two Games.

In 1992 Derartu Tulu became the first black African women to win an Olympic medal when she won the 10,000m. Eight years later in Sydney, she again won the 10,000m to become the first woman to win two gold medals in Olympic distance events. She won a bronze medal in Athens in 2004.

In 1996 multiple world record holder, Haile Gebrselassie won an exciting 10,000m ahead of Kenya's Paul Tergat. The pair renewed their rivalry in Sydney and it proved to be an even more thrilling race. In a sprint for the line, Gebrselassie edged Tergat by just 0.09s, one of the closest ever finishes in a distance event.

National Anthem

Title: Whedefit Gesgeshi Woude Henate Ethiopia [March Forward, Dear Mother Ethiopia]
Composer: Words by Dereje Melaku Mengesha, music by Solomon Lulu Mitiku.
Inducted: 1992

IOC Membership

Founding Date: 1948
Date of IOC Recognition: 1954

NOC President: Dagmawit Girmay
NOC General Secretary: Dr Mulalem Bessie
IOC Member(s):

First OG Appearance: 1956
Number of OG Appearance: 10
Summary:

Medals per sport

Sport Gold Silver Bronze Total
Athletics 14 5 12 31
Total 14 5 12 31


?Medals per year

Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
1960 1 0 0 1
1964 1 0 0 1
1968 1 1 0 2
1972 0 0 2 2
1980 2 0 2 4
1992 1 0 2 3
1996 2 0 1 3
2000 4 1 3 8
2004 2 3 2 7
Total 14 5 12 31

Source: Beijing 2008 Olympics Official website