The Olympic Tradition and the ‘Berhane Affair’: A Scandal?

By Fitsum Getachew

It is clear that such epic triumph served as the foundation for the current achievements and glory that Ethiopians pride on. Having one’s flag hoisted high up at an Olympic venue is a dream that all nations cherish but few are blessed with. Out of more than 200 participating nations only around seventy had the chance to have their flags hoisted at the winners podium in Athens 2004, and many only for the second or third spot. To have one’s national anthem sung is yet a bigger trophy as it implies gold. Ato Yidnekachew Tessema, the beloved and much missed sports minister here, has once characterized his joy over Abebe’s victory as the ‘happiest day of his entire life’ that made him forget his coat on in one of Rome’s hottest summer days!

Africans applauded the shining victory of Abebe with extreme admiration and pride, and since then the sentimental link between Ethiopia and the Marathon was to be cemented on concrete grounds. When four years later, Abebe repeated his triumph in Tokyo, the world was literally stunned and Ethiopians exhilarated. Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets to celebrate the triumph, and when Abebe returned home, he was accorded a heros’s welcome.

Since then the victory on long and medium distance races has become a glowing specialty of Ethiopian athletes. Foreign sports commentators always expect something extraordinary from them. Mamo, Miruts , and now more recently, Derartu, Haile, Fatuma, Gezahegn, Kenenisa and Messeret have not disappointed them. They are all golden children, followers of Abebe, the ‘standard bearer’. Today, not only do athletes train, compete, win and become national heros overnight, but they also acquire huge economic benefits to the extent of needing professional managers to run their busy schedule (amid competitions, sponsor commercials and training). They have highly qualified doctors, physiotherapists and psychologists who constantly watch over their muscles, tissues and nerves. Besides, the athletes help brighten their country’s international image and their compatriots can have something to be proud of. Such is the case not only with the poor countries, but also with the rich ones who when they find themselves trailing on the medals list behind the poor, they can hardly hide their ‘embarrassment’.

Hence, the glory at the Olympics is so brilliant that no nation can afford to completely disregard it, (despite excessive commercialisation, ruthless competition among sponsors, and still worse scandalous doping cases!) The urge to win is such that any risk might be ‘worth the try’! By the same token, politicians realize that there is a lot more than medals and victories at the games. These can serve as a perfect political instrument; so much so that politicians dedicate a lot of their time and resources to take care of victorious athletes, associating themselves with the success. (See the latest reception of athletes here, Palace limousines and the rest....!) It matters little if they have done hardly anything for the success, but they capitalize on it all the same. In Ethiopia, the case seems even more glaring than in other countries.(See the prompt congratulatory messages of leaders on ETV transmitted as soon as an event was over!) Athletics is closely watched by party leaders and there is a lot of speculation that even the jackpot of the athletes are somehow ‘shared’ in the Federation, we don’t know how!

It is with this in the background that the recent ‘Berhane Case’ exploded (and should be viewed) just a few days before the Olympics started. The Athens games hence will go down with the record of such controversy (between an athlete and the chief coach). The vehement reaction of the athlete to her exclusion on allegedly unfair grounds and the coach’s response attracted huge coverage. While she insisted (with tears) that her exclusion was motivated by only an ‘act of revenge’ by the coach (for her ‘insubordination to ‘certain rules’, the coach on the other hand asserted that his decision was dictated only by ‘professional’ considerations. She was unable to sustain heavy training owing to recent injury while she rebutted she could not accept his methods as it left her without results for too long. It was her personal training that got her the gold in Paris, she disclosed. Hence the controversy was bitter and perhaps older than any of us at first suspected, although never reached the public ears. This shows how things are done secretively and recalls us of ‘palace intrigues’ characteristic of Ethiopian history!

It was hence amid such controversy that the 10,000 m gold went to Beijing, infuriating Ethiopian fans. The silver and bronze obtained were not a ‘disgrace’, but fans found it convenient to attribute the ‘loss’ to Berhane’s absence. Later on Berhane was to be punished, ‘to give her a lesson’. The Federation’s suspension provoked the fury of all athletes here eventually leading it to back off and drop it. But people could not help thinking that the act was intended to stifle Berhane’s efforts from showing her fitness! Whatever the case, the Berhane-Federation duel for the moment ended with the latter’s prevalence. But ‘where are the limits of the Federation’ was a question every one posed. Who controls it and where is its accountability?! What are the rights and duties of an athlete? How are athletes protected? They are our diamond gems!

It was evident that the Federation showed some nervousness in handling the case, issuing contradictory or ambiguous statements, further increasing the public suspicion that a ‘wrong’ must have been committed somewhere. Whatever be the case, a huge shadow has cast over the way the Federation runs its internal business. Little is known clearly as to how athletes are recruited, selected for training, and eventually fielded for competition. The authority of the coach and the Board that runs the whole business is seemingly sovereign, beside being not a model of transparency and accountability. Hence the large space for highly personal and controversial decisions, susceptible of ‘abuse’ or ‘arrogance’. And that is what Berhane’s case was eventually suggesting.

The Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission was dragged in to take up the story and what has transpired from its finding suggests that there definitely is a lot of ‘room for corruption’ in how things are run in there! Money not clearly accounted for, funds without receipts, lenient supervision of activities and committees chosen among peers and buddies, scratching one another’s backs, transport expenses and per diems not clearly defined or accounted for etc.....Soon therefore we should expect some heads to roll down (if the government really commits itself to clean up the mess), and restore public confidence not only in the operations of the Federation, but also how appointments are affected (we would need that in every other public offices as well, and seeing that elections are due in a few months, this can give a boost to the election prospects of the ruling party, if carried out!)

In the meantime, many people were surprised to see how the Minister of Sports reacted in relation to the case of Berhane, and dismissed those who criticized the Olympic results as ‘unpatriotic’! The question seemed however somehow ‘hijacked’ to undesired or unintended directions. The question was not one of results or medals. It was one of justice and respect of one’s rights! It was one of ‘transparency’ and ‘accountability’ in what happens behind the curtains in any government or public body or authority, where there is a big public stake. Athletics in Ethiopia is a very serious matter, and no one is ready to leave it to a ‘suspected’ Federation or some mysterious committee. It is a national issue and needs to be addressed publicly and openly. It cannot be ground for the settlement of the personal feuds of a few interlinked or connected individuals, no matter how illustrious! Certainly, the athletes themselves have contributed to such failure as they resulted to be ‘too weak’, not even having an association that could represent them and stand up for their rights. After all, it is they who eventually pay in ‘sweat and blood’! Otherwise such grievance or scandal would not have erupted. The authority of any person or ‘body’ in the Ministry of Culture, Youths and Sports would have had well defined, limited and identified contours so that no athlete would feel segregated or abused due to any sort of ‘connection’ or ‘refusal to abide by certain unwritten or unofficial rules’. Observers assert, here is where corruption should be sought and disbanded with eventual ‘culprits’ identified. The house needs cleaning up and no number of gold medals should be let to cover it up. In this sense, the minister’s assertion leaves a lot to be desired and the Berhane case should serve as a ‘blessing in disguise’!

A harmonious atmosphere amid the Ethiopian athletic squad is an imperative for any further improvement of our stand in the athletic endeavours. (For that matter, we would need it in all other endeavours of public life...) The full and detailed results of the Anti-Corruption Commission are hence to be anxiously awaited. If such story is not cleared soon and the Federation proves its utmost transparency and fairness, the ‘only good thing in Ethiopia’ would risk to vanish in to thin air. We should then not blame our athletes who look for greener pastures, (see 5000 m record holder Turkish Elvan Abiylegesse!) What happens if Berhane follows suite!? The moral fortitude of a future generation of motivated athletes would be severely undermined, no doubts.

It is easy to guess that had we not had the phenomenon Abebe Bikila, we would not have had Miruz Yifter, the ‘shifter’, and if we never had Miruz, we would probably never have had the legendary Haile Gebreselassie! And we know what Haile means to Ethiopian youths. We know he gave birth to Kenenisa, the new track king! Without superathlete Derartu, we would not have had Berhane, Tirunesh and Meseret! Hence the chain of glorious tradition, indispensable for our people, for our athletes, for our youths. The ‘human factor’ is irreplaceable! No amount of investment alone can bring forth such ‘victorious tradition’.

The ‘Berhane Affair’ has probably created an unexpected ‘embarrassment’ to the Federation, the Board that runs it, and the Ministry of Culture, Youths and Sports. The media ran a lot of stories, (some of them perhaps rash and nasty) trying to prey on it, like vultures. However, the Federation’s persistent defence and denial of every statement by Berhane has not helped enhance its ‘image’. What will put the Federation on the golden podium rather would only be the clearing of its name through display of clear and unambiguous facts, going beyond one athlete’s allegations! Through documents and minutes of decisions. Through clearly put receipts with dates, the balance sheet, the ‘whys’ and ‘hows’ of each vital decision taken on the account of any athlete! Only then can it walk upright showing full confidence. Statements and counterstatements using the public media would not quench the public’s thirst of truth, justice and accountability! The ‘loss in image’ is something that we all should deplore and be ashamed of. It is not only the Federation (or the government for that matter) that loses here. It is also the athletes, (specially Berhane), and eventually every citizen. No public organisation, authority or body might claim absolute cleanliness, but the need to do some cleaning all the same is undeniable, if we want our athletics to continue to flourish and sustain our national pride. We should hence close the ‘Berhane file’ with an adequate and timely verdict, and look forward with new spirit.