Paris to Name Sports Venue After Late Ugandan Olympian

Marathon participation Rebecca Cheptegei died after being set on fire by her partner
By Newser.AI Read our AI policy
Posted Sep 7, 2024 9:35 AM CDT
Paris to Name Sports Venue After Late Ugandan Olympian
FILE -Rebecca Cheptegei, competes at the Discovery 10km road race in Kapchorwa, Uganda, Jan. 20, 2023.   (AP Photo, File)

The city of Paris hopes to commemorate Ugandan Olympic runner Rebecca Cheptegei by naming a sports venue in her honor, announced Mayor Anne Hidalgo. The proposal will be reviewed by city officials in October. Cheptegei, aged 33, died Thursday in a Kenyan hospital after sustaining severe burns in an attack by her partner. She had finished 44th in the women's marathon just weeks prior.

Paris city hall stated, "Paris joins its elected representatives in expressing its support for the family of the athlete, victim of a femicide a few weeks after her participation in the Olympic Games." Cheptegei's partner, Dickson Ndiema, reportedly doused her with gasoline and set her on fire during a disagreement.

Statistics from UN Women and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime indicate that a woman or girl is killed by an intimate partner or family member every 11 minutes globally. Hidalgo, sharing her condolences during a press conference, remarked, "We saw her, her beauty, her strength, her freedom. Paris will not forget her, and we will dedicate a sports venue to her, so that her memory and her story will be present among us." (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)

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