Athletics

Haile Gebrselassie cannot opt out of the Beijing Olympics marathon and must follow Ethiopian sports rules, the country's athletics federation said. Gebrselassie, who suffers from exercise-related asthma, said last week he would not run the 42.195-km event because he feared Beijing's air pollution was a threat to his health. "It is not up to Haile Gebrselassie to decide on participation in the marathon event in Beijing," EAF technical director Dube Jillo said. "It is the Ethiopian Athletics Federation that determines whether Haile is fit to compete in the marathon event in Beijing's Olympics or not."