Ethiopia's 5,000m world record holder Letesenbet Gidey will miss Sunday's Valencia half-marathon due to the conflict in her home region of Tigray

On her last visit to Valencia she set the new mark of 14 min 06.62 sec in a specially arranged 5km race featuring flashing lights on the track perimeter to guide the athletes' pace.

And on Sunday the Spanish city is hosting a marathon and half-marathon as part of the Tokyo Olympics qualifying process.

Elite athlete coordinator Marc Roig explained that the situation in Tigray had made Gidey's journey too complicated "with a war that prevents her from leaving".

The United Nations said Friday that fighting continued "in many parts" of Ethiopia's Tigray, complicating efforts to deliver humanitarian aid despite a deal granting the UN access to territory under federal control.

The conflict has claimed thousands of lives, according to the International Crisis Group (ICG) think tank, and tens of thousands of refugees have streamed across the border into Sudan.

posted Saturday December 5th
by AFP