The Ethiopian Athletics Federation from competition, including world record holder and defending Olympic champion Kenenisa Bekele, for skipping a mandatory training camp. If enforced, the ban could keep nearly all of the country’s top runners from competing in August’s London Olympic Games. Bekele’s agent Jos Hermens said that the ban was a reaction to Ethiopia’s poor showing at the 2011 world championships. “Of course, Kenenisa Bekele will be at the Olympics,” Hermens said. A spokeswoman for the federation said the ban would be lifted if the athletes reported to a future training camp.
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