ADDIS ABABA, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopian Ministry of Youth and Sport together with the Ethiopian Olympic Committee announced various sports events to mark the arrival of the Ethiopian New Year, which will start on September 11.
The event will bring together a number of renowned Ethiopian athletes in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa on Saturday, Restu Yirdaw, Ethiopian Minister of Youth and Sport announced on Friday.
Ethiopia has a unique calendar deriving from the Ethiopian Orthodox Church traditions whereby the country counts its annual year seven to eight years behind the internationally acclaimed Gregorian calendar. Accordingly, the Ethiopian New Year that falls on September 11, 2017 will be 2010.
One of the athletes expected to participate is Haile Gebrselassie, arguably the world's most successful distance runner of all time and currently President of the Ethiopian Athletics Federation. Olympic gold medalist Derartu Tulu will also participate in the 1,500m race on Saturday, it was noted.
Ethiopia's two dominant football clubs that are the Ethiopian Coffee and St. Jorge are also expected to face each other, which will be followed by various other sports events, including boxing and gymnastics, it was indicated.
The east African country has declared 10-day long nationwide celebrations, starting September 1, 2017, to usher in the upcoming Ethiopian New Year.
The 10-day long nationwide celebrations include Love Day, Mothers' and Children's Day, Elders' Day, Peace Day, Reading Day, Green Development Day, Respect Day, National Feelings Day, Unity Day and Ethiopia Day.
Ethiopian President Mulatu Teshome, in his New Year message to the public, said the various events will be used to highlight the east African nation's significant gains in the socio-economic and political sectors over the past decade. Read more here
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