Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni attributed East African countries' dominance in long-distance running to the fact that many athletes from the region are born in high-altitude areas, training from a young age in low-oxygen environments, which enhances their lung efficiency.
In what could be deemed one of the most grueling track events of the Olympic Games, Joshua Cheptegei, Uganda's leading athlete and world record holder, clinched gold in the men's 10,000m final at the Paris Olympic Games, recording the fastest time ever in Olympic history at 26:43.14.
In an exclusive interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), President Museveni shed light on the secret formula behind East African countries such as Uganda, Kenya, and Ethiopia producing the world's top long-distance runners through their training methods.
"We are taking advantage of the higher altitude. This is part of biology. Some of those people who are doing good running are born in mountain areas. If you are born in a mountain area, up in the mountain, the oxygen is less. There's more oxygen at sea level than in the mountain. So, their lungs from childhood learn how to use little oxygen. They have got more efficient lungs. They are all from highland areas who can run those long distances," Museveni said.
Museveni also highlighted Uganda's commitment to investing in a high-altitude training center to further elevate the performance of their athletes.
"We have built a high-altitude training center in that area where Cheptegei comes from. We have built a training center there, 2,000 something meters above sea level," he said.
Ugandan President credits East Africa's long-distance running success to high-altitude environment
Israel bombed a school housing displaced Palestinians in Gaza Strip on Wednesday, killing at least 18 people including staff members with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and wounding dozens of the displaced seeking shelter there.
UNRWA has confirmed that six of its staff were killed in two airstrikes on the Al-Jaouni School in Central Gaza's Al Nuseirat refugee camp, including the shelter's manager.
UNRWA said the deaths mark the highest number of its staff killed in a single incident over the past 11 months.
In a statement on Thursday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the fatal attack on the school housing refugees, and called the lack of civilian protection in Gaza "unconscionable".
He also said the lack of accountability for Israel's killing of UN staff and humanitarian workers in Gaza is completely unacceptable.
Meanwhile, an Israeli government spokesperson said the attack was legitimate, accusing Hamas of using the school as a command and control center.
Hamdi Ali, the father of one of the children who died in the Israeli bombing, shared the hardships they've lived through. But despite everything, he said he will remain in the school because there is no safe place to go.
"We are peaceful civilians. We were displaced to this school in search of safety and reassurance. I lost my son Obaida in the bombing, and I don't know who else I’ll lose next time. Maybe I'll lose my wife, the rest of my children, or even myself. I could be one of the next victims, or any of the other displaced people here in the school," said the father.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, dozens of people injured in the attack on the school have been sent to Shuhada Al-Aqsa Hospita, among whom a large number are women and children.
"We were surprised by a missile that penetrated three floors and hit the place where we were. Half of the floor collapsed and my sister fell down. My other sister and I were injured by missile shrapnel and were trapped under the rubble. One of my sisters had a broken arm, and the other had injuries on her head and back," said Lubna Jalo, a witness of the airstrike.
The Al-Jaouni School shelters about 12,000 displaced Palestinians, with most of them being women and children. It is run by UNRWA and has been bombed five times since the beginning of the ongoing war.
Israel has been conducting a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct. 7, 2023, during which Hamas militants killed 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages.
The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip had risen to 41,084, Gaza-based health authorities said in a statement on Wednesday.
Israeli airstrike on Gaza school kills UN staff, displaced Palestinians
