MADRID (AFP) - World record holder Haile Gebreselassie has confirmed in an interview with a Spanish newspaper that he will not run in the Beijing Olympics marathon due to the climatic conditions in the Chinese capital.
"I have no intention of committing suicide in Beijing," the Ethiopian, who suffers from asthma, told El Pais. "I know that several other athletes are starting to have doubts about this."
"It's purely a personal decision that I have taken to protect my health. I do not want to endanger my future. I do not want to kill myself in Beijing.
"The marathon will be impossible because of the pollution, heat and humidity," he added before confirming that he intended instead to focus instead on the 10,000 metres
"I want to be an Olympic champion once again and also to compete in Beijing. That's why I have been trying to find a solution and that would be to once again compete in the 10,000 metres as I did at Atlanta, Sydney and Athens."
To do so, however, he will first have to secure his qualification as one of the three Ethiopian runners eligible to run in Beijing.
In Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian athletics federation said that Gebreselassie was still part of their marathon plans for Beijing despite the athlete's decision to skip the event.
"He hasn't informed the federation of his decision yet," the Ethiopian Athletics Federation technical director Dube Jilo told AFP. "He is still a vital part of our plans for the marathon in Beijing."
Dube however said the federation had not tried to convince the two-time 10,000 world champion to participate in the marathon, but admitted his worries if he failed to do so.
"There haven't been any attempts to make him change his mind," said Dube.
"We will still finalise our selections during the marathon trials on April 30. But if he sticks with his decision, then it will definitely affect our preparations and our chances of winning the marathon in Beijing."
Ethiopia is already banking on the Bekele brothers -- Kenenisia and Tariku -- and Olympic silver medallist Sileshi Sihine, to seek selection to compete in the 10,000-metre race.
