Haile Gebrselassie (ETH) (© Getty Images)
Ethiopian Olympic legend Haile Gebrselassie was conferred with an honorary doctorate by the National University of Ireland yesterday in Dublin. He was awarded a Doctor of Laws (DLL) in recognition of his sporting achievement, and his charitable and development work in Africa.
Dr Padraic Conway of University College Dublin (UCD) who presneted the award said: “Mr Gebrselassie is widely – and correctly - regarded as one of the greatest distance runners of all time, the most recent and most successful standard bearer of an outstanding Ethiopian Olympic tradition which stretches back to the achievements of Abebe Bikila and Mamo Wolde in the 1960s,” said Dr Conway. “We honour him today, however, not only for his sporting prowess but for the work which, increasingly in latter years, he has done for development in Ethiopia, with a particular focus on education.”
Gebrselassie said he was honoured to receive the degree, as education had always been one of his priorities in his work on development. “Without education, we will never eradicate poverty in Ethiopia,” he said. “It is a great honour for me to receive this degree in Ireland and it will be a constant reminder of the work that remains to be done at home in terms of education. One of the UN’s Millennium Development Goals calls for all children to be in primary education by the year 2015. We have to work to make sure that goal is achieved. I would like to thank UCD for the degree.”
Gebrselassie has been working with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) since 1998, added Dr Conway. “One of his key focus areas is HIV/AIDS which is a significant problem in Ethiopia. He worked with a programme called ‘Local Heroes’ supporting Ethiopian orphans when they lose their parents to HIV/AIDS. “It is for all this that we honour you today, Jengaw, fearless hero, Haile Gebrselassie!”