The city of Paris plans to honor the late Ugandan Olympic runner Rebecca Cheptegei by naming a sports venue after her.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo announced the proposal on Friday, which will be reviewed by city officials in October.
Cheptegei, 33, died on Thursday at a hospital in Kenya where she was being treated for severe burns sustained in an attack by her partner. She had competed in the women’s marathon at the Paris Olympics less than a month ago, finishing 44th.
“Paris joins its elected representatives in expressing its support for the family of the athlete, a victim of femicide shortly after participating in the Olympic Games,” Paris City Hall said in a statement.
According to Trans Nzoia County Police Commander Jeremiah ole Kosiom, Cheptegei’s partner, Dickson Ndiema, poured gasoline on her and set her ablaze during a dispute last Sunday. Ndiema was also burned and is receiving treatment at the same hospital.
UN Women and the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime report that, on average, every 11 minutes a woman or girl is killed by an intimate partner or family member globally.
“An emotional thought for Rebecca Cheptegei,” Hidalgo said at a press conference, as reported by French media. “We saw 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.”
The Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022 indicates that approximately 41% of Kenyan women in relationships or marriages have experienced physical or sexual violence from their partners.
