Ethiopia competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany. 31 competitors, all men, took part in 20 events in 3 sports.^[1]

Men's 100 metres

• Egzi Gabre-Gabre
  • First Heat — 10.89s (→ did not advance)

Men's 800 metres

• Mulugetta Tadesse
  • Heat — 1:47.1
  • Semifinals — 1:48.9 (→ did not advance)
• Shibrou Regassa
  • Heat — 1:53.3 (→ did not advance)

Men's 1500 metres

• Hailu Ebba
  • Heat — 3:41.6
  • Semifinals — 3:43.7 (→ did not advance)
• Shibrou Regassa
  • Heat — 3:43.6
  • Semifinals — 3:41.9 (→ did not advance)

Men's 5000 metres

• Tolossa Kotu
  • Heat — 13:46.2 (→ did not advance)
• Tekle Fitinsa
  • Heat — 13:50.4 (→ did not advance)

Men's 10,000 metres

• Tadesse Wolde-Medhin
  • Heat — 28:45.4 (→ did not advance)

Men's 4 × 100 m Relay

• Sisay Feleke, Solomon Belay, Kebede Bedasso, and Egzi Gabre-Gabre
  • Heat — DNF (→ did not advance)

Men's Bantamweight (– 54 kg)

• Mohamed Ayele
  • First Round — Lost to Koh Keun-Sang (KOR), KO-1

Men's Light Welterweight (– 63.5 kg)

• Fekadu Gabre Selassie
  • First Round — Lost to Kyoji Shinohara (JPN), 0:5

Individual road race

• Tekeste Woldu — 53rd place
• Fisihasion Ghebreyesus — did not finish (→ no ranking)
• Rissom Gebre Meskei — did not finish (→ no ranking)
• Suleman Abdul Rahman — did not finish (→ no ranking)

Team time trial

• Mehari Okubamicael
• Rissom Gebre Meskei
• Fisihasion Ghebreyesus
• Tekeste Woldu