Kenenisa Bekele will not try to defend the 3000m world indoor title he won two year's ago in Moscow at this year's competition in Valencia and will instead compete at the World Cross Country Championships in Edinburgh.

Bekele has an astonishing record at the World Cross Country Championships and for five years in a row, from 2002 through 2006, he took both short (4K) and long (12K) races although his remarkable racing streak of 27 consecutive victories in cross country races was ended by Zersenay Tadese last season.

Bekele's brother Tariku will run the 3000m and he is the current world leader. He will be joined by Abraham Cherkos Feleke who achieved world junior indoor best at 3000m this year.

The Ethiopian women's team will see Meseret Defar and Meselech Melkamu compete in the 3000m and Gelete Burka at 1500m.

Tirunesh Dibaba however, will skip the World Indoor Championships.

EME (Edited by Sean Fay) / Eurosport