Haile Gebrselassie at the 1999 IAAF World Indoor Championships (© © Allsport)
Ethiopia's Haile Gebrselassie, world record holder in the 5000m and 10,000m, indoor world record holder for the 5000m and the winner of double indoor gold at the 7th World Indoor Championships in Maebashi, Japan, has been named a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme in Ethiopia.
Gebrselassie's appointment was officially announced on Saturday, 10 April in Addis Abeba during a fund raising dinner in favour of the Ethiopian Federation for handicapped sports, seeking to raise financing to send 21 handicapped Ethiopian athletes to the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.