Ethiopia says will welcome Rio marathon runner despite protest gesture

The marathon runner, who was second to Kenyan favourite Eliud Kipchoge, claimed his life could be in peril

Ethiopia will not bar runner Feyisa Lilesa from entering the country after he made an anti-government gesture upon finishing second in the Olympic marathon on Sunday, an official said.

Lilesa held his arms over his head, wrists crossed, as he strode across the finish line to claim the silver medal in Rio de Janeiro - mimicking a sign taken up by protesters in the Horn of Africa country's Oromiya region.