Paris to honour late Ugandan Olympian by naming sports venue after her

The city of Paris wants to honor the late Ugandan Olympic runner Rebecca Cheptegei by naming a sports venue after her.

The proposal was announced by city mayor Anne Hidalgo on Friday and will be discussed by city officials in October.

Cheptegei died on Thursday at a Kenyan hospital where she was being treated after 80% of her body was burned in an attack by her partner. She was 33.

Cheptegei competed in the women's marathon at the Paris Olympics less than a month ago and finished 44th.

Paris will not forget her and we will dedicate a sports venue to her, so that her memory and her story will remain among us, and help us carry even stronger the message of equality, which is a message carried by the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Hidalgo said.

City hall said in a statement, 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.

Trans Nzoia County Police Commander