The number of gymnasiums where people exercise has been growing exponentially in Addis Ababa. In the 200/12 fiscal year, only 29 business licenses we issued for gymnasiums – the following year, that figure rose to 103. Currently, there are 305 gyms operating in the city. Health, general well-being, and stress relief appear to be the main reasons why people decide to frequent gyms. EBR’s Ashenafi Endale spoke with gym goers and owners in order to learn about what appears to be a booming fitness sector that shows no signs of slowing down.

“We could see her do something special in anything from 1,500m to 10,000m, but certainly in the 5,000m,” the legendary British athlete Paula Radcliff, commented on BBC sport, about Genzebe Dibaba, after she broke three world records within 15 days, last February.

One hundred twenty years ago, in 1893, Willie Grooves, a West Bromwich Albion inside forward in the then professional English Football League, was sold with a record transfer fee of 100 Pounds Sterling (GBP) for Aston Villa. This transfer was considered controversial. The Football Association labeled the transfer process ‘unfair’ because the player was illegally poached and a huge amount of money was tendered. Nevertheless, Grooves subsequently became the first player to be transferred with ‘that amount’ of money in the history of football and helped Villa win the league championship in 1894. Villa actually ended up being fined for the incident by the Football Association.

The Continent’s Biennial Football Showdown Returns

The 2014 African Nations Championship (Sometimes referred to as CHAN) is underway in South Africa, a country that overtook the right to host the event from Libya because of the previous turmoil in the country. The football championship, which was officially opened on January 11, 2014, is now being fought between 16 teams in three cities: Cape Town, Bloemfontein and Polokwane. The 65,000-seater Cape Town Stadium will host the championship on February 1, 2014.

In a late Sunday afternoon a couple of weeks ago, at Mesale Café, Bar, Restaurant and Lounge, a high-toned place around Bole Medhanealem in Addis Ababa, several people were watching a football game transmitted through the DSTV Super Sport channel. Emotions were high as the game transmitted live was between the defending champions Manchester United, a club that has huge fans in Ethiopia, and one of the strongest English Premier League (EPL) outfits Totenham Hotspur from the White Hart Lane. There were 15 LCD televisions at every corner and a big screen in the main lounge. Every seat including the hallway and the corners and even the inside of the balcony was full. Tables were overflowing with bottles of beers and soft drinks. A considerable number of men were also guzzling high alcoholic content liquors including whiskies.

Ethiopia’s Bid to Host the 2021 African Cup of Nations

January 21st 1962 was the greatest day in Ethiopian football history. Ethiopia was able to win its first and last African Cup of Nations (AFCON), after beating United Arab Republic (Egypt) 4-2 in additional time, in one of the most entertaining games ever played in African football history. Ethiopian football legends like Mengistu Worku and Italo Vassalo quenched the trophy thirst of the spectators packed at the then Haile Selassie Stadium.

For most, the Olympics is just a huge sporting event. But for some, it is more than that. Some sport pundits love to compare nations’ status in the Olympic medal table with the level of their global power. At some stage, during the cold war, the relative power of United States and Soviet Union were usually evaluated by the number of (Gold, Silver and Bronze) medals they scored in the Olympics. In the last three Olympics though, it has been China and America competing for the supremacy in the biggest event of the globe.