Ethiopian Athletics Federation President Derartu Tolu called on the federal government to ease access to the war-torn region of Tigray, home to many medalists from the World Championships, which ended Sunday in Eugene, USA.

The northern region was largely isolated from the rest of the country due to the conflict between federal forces and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front that broke out in November 2020.

The winning delegation at the World Championships in the USA included 4 runners from Tigray, three of the four gold medalists and one silver medalist, including the world marathon champion Gotitatum Gebrislasie.

“Tigrayan athletes did not have the opportunity to see their families. I hope that our president and our government will solve this problem,” said the president of the Ethiopian Football Association, Dirartu Tulu.

The gold medalist of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, the 2000 Sydney Sydney and the 2001 Edmonton 10,000m World Championships added that some runners were stuck in Tigray and were unable to compete in the tournament, leaving Ethiopia second in the medal table after USA. , where he won 10 medals, including 4 gold, silver and bronze.

“For these runners, we ask for roads and other important things that the government knows about, we want to do this for us, and we sincerely ask our government to do this,” she said at a ceremony in honor of the winners.

Ethiopian President Sahli-Work Zewdi also spoke about the conflicts engulfing Ethiopia and said, “The athlete who burst into tears saying ‘I want my father and mother to watch and celebrate’ touched our hearts when she wiped her tears with our national flag . mixed feelings of happiness and sadness,” referring to Gebrselassie.

The conflict in northern Ethiopia has left hundreds of thousands on the brink of starvation, more than two million people have fled their homes and left more than nine million in need of food aid, according to the UN.