Above: The shareholders of the company include two athletes –
Haile Gebrselassie and Belay Welasha, as well as an Ethiopian
born Canadian businessman and former athlete Joseph Kibur.
The first private Athletics Village to be built in Sululta
December 4, 2009 Addis Ababa - Yaya Africa Athletics Village P.L.C, a new company established in 2009 has begun the construction of a modern athletics village in Sululta, 11 KM outside the city of Addis Ababa. The project is worth an estimated 80 million birr and will be constructed in three phases. The shareholders of the company include two prominent athletes – Haile Gebrselassie and Belay Welasha, as well as an Ethiopian born Canadian businessman and former athlete Joseph Kibur. The facility will include a running track, hotel, restaurant, gymnasium and sports clinic. It is to be built on 50,000 sq. m. of land and the first phase of the project is expected to be operational by September 2010. “Haile, who has been making athletics history for the better part of two decades is about to make a new history by building the first private athletics village in the country. I am happy and excited to be Once the facility is fully operational, selected individuals will be provided with the range of services required for world class athletes. This would include proper diet created by a professional, psychological training, climate controlled training rooms to simulate high humidity and hot conditions, doctors and massage professionals or injury prevention and treatment. In addition to providing services for local athletes, the hotel in the facility will also be used to house foreign athletes interested in high altitude training. By making the facility a tourist destination it will earn the country foreign currency. Source: Yaya Africa Athletics Village P.L.C
part of this history”, says Joseph Kibur, President and major shareholder of the company. “our aim is to have the facility ready well before the London Olympics so that there will be enough time to
produce new talent and continue Ethiopia’s winning tradition”.
The heros of our history are these confident and confidence inspiring compatriots and not the paranoid diaspora crying always doom. Look it is neither doctorate nor being a billionaire that matters but leaving and working for and with the nation. Making and participating history and not crying doom through websites that were hot in the beginning but now seeing the quality and impartiality are losing their value.
We love you our historic and good hearted patriots.
Good luck!
It is good news for us Ethiopians. I am happy to here that. However i don’t agree with the name Yaya Africa. We have many names in Ethiopia. Yaya is one of the biggest complex in Nairobi and i am afraid there must be someone in the share. I wish if you put ethiopian names please. otherwise bravo Haile and the company.
it is a good intiative for our country.we produce more great athletes in the future too.It helps to speed up our athletics development.THANKS Haile,Belay and Joseph.
who is going to use it, given our economy?. Investing in agro-industries more useful than working in such things. It can help millions.
This yet to be one of the great accomplishments of our legendary hero Haile. Thank you haile! Keep up the good work.
80 million Birr is not a joke for a poor country like Ethiopia ? please invest agro-industries so that million of Ethiopians can eat bread rather than thinking for only ten thousand athletes.
I appreciate H/G Selassie. He is one of our heroes. We have more athletes from oromia that can join you. why not ask kenenisa? If you need more money, contact me i can help. Privatization is good for Athletes and the country.
Thanks!
It is great when some one contributes in his own capacity. It is great when people are making a difference by using their knowledge and financial investment. Who told you that poor countries do not need other than aggro-industry? Unless each individual stands firm to feed himself neither investors like Haile nor foreign donors will feed the exploding population of Ethiopia. Go Haile, teach us to earn our own dinner. I appreciate you because you don’t promote dependence on handouts. Make them work hard.