(EthioSport).  The 2012 London Olympic Games have officially opened during the July 28 opening ceremony, but the bulk of Ethiopia’s star athletics team will arrive in the English capital during the subsequent week, ahead of the athletics program that will begin on Friday, August 3rd.

Ethiopia’s opening ceremony flag bearer is swimmer Yanet Seyoum Gebremedhin, one of two swimmers making history as the nations first at the Olympics in this category.

Of the athletics team led by 2008 double Olympic champions Kenenisa Bekele and Tirunesh Dibaba, the first wave will leave Addis Ababa on Monday July 30; while the final batch, the men’s marathon runners, will depart a few days prior to that race, which is being held on the last day of the Olympics, August 12.

Dates of London 2012 athletics finals in which Ethiopian athletes will anticipate:

Friday August 3rd:  9:25pm – Women’s 10,000m.

Saturday August 4th:  9:15pm – Men’s 10,000m.

Sunday August 5th:  11am – Women’s marathon; 9:25pm – Men’s 3000m steeplechase.

Monday August 6th:  9:05pm – Women’s 3000m steeplechase.

Tuesday August 7th:  9:15pm – Men’s 1500m.

Thursday August 9th:  8pm – Men’s 800m.

Friday August 10th:  8:05pm – Women’s 5,000m; 8:55pm – Women’s 1500m.

Saturday August 11th:  7:30pm – Men’s 5000m; 8pm – Women’s 800m.

Sunday August 12th:  11am – Men’s marathon.