The war in Tigray, a region in northern Ethiopia, claimed the lives on 76 athletes, as noted by the BBC. The war, which involves Ethiopian government forces and regional Tigrayan rebels, is killing countless civilians, including those who intended to become their country’s representatives in the major sporting events.

The civil war between Ethiopia’s government and Tigrayan rebels began in 2020 and lasted for two years, causing thousands to lose their lives across the country. Most of the victims of the civil war were civilians. The Tigray Athletics Federation President, Kidane Teklehaimanot, showed a list containing the names of athletes who were recently killed. Teklehaimanot said that most athletes who were chosen to represent Ethiopia in national and international competitions decided to back government forces and joined the army in the war of annihilation against Tigray.

The Tigray’s civil war began in November 2020 after forces loyal to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) captured a military camp, and the Ethiopian army responded in kind with an offensive of their own in cooperation with Eritrea’s military forces. At first, the war only affected northern regions. However, the Ethiopian National Defence Force started to counterattack from the south while Eritrean Defence Forces continued to attack from the north. The war raged on for over two years despite  numerous attempts to bring about a ceasefire via a series of peace and meditation proposals. A peace agreement was finally signed on the 3^rd of November 2022, after Ethiopian and Tigrayan rebel forces agreed to end hostilities.

Teklehaimanot estimated that the war inflicted damage worth more than 30 million birr (427,600 £) to an athletics centre in Maichew, a town in the Tigray region. Most of the athletes involved in competitions were urged to resign, due to sporting facilities having been destroyed during the war. Examples of Ethiopian sport stars who had to give up their passion are Gudaf Tsegay, the ten thousand metre world champion, and her predecessor Letesenbet Gidey, who represented Ethiopia on the world stage.

It is no surprise that war is an equaliser. It affects everyone living in combat zones no matter their class, wealth, or celebrity. Sports stars are not exempt from invisible wounds that cause major psychological stress and trauma, and there have been studies based on the Ethiopia Civil War which analyse the psychological impact that the war had on athletes. The Generalised Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) and the Centre for Epidemiological Studies (CES-D) show that the majority of concerned athletes reported severe anxiety and all of them had symptoms of depression.

In conclusion, Ethiopia’s sporting life has been severely damaged by the Tigrayan Civil War. The widespread destruction of training facilities is only part of the story. The psychological impact that the conflict has had on athletes’ mental and physical health should not be underestimated. Furthermore, conscription into government and rebel armies forced civilians, including athletes, to join the military and surrender their dreams.