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Slain Ugandan Olympian buried with full military honours

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Family members mourn and react next to the coffin of the slain Olympian Rebecca Cheptegei, who died after her former boyfriend doused her in petrol and set her ablaze, at the Moi Teaching & Referral Hospital (MTRH) funeral home, in Eldoret, Kenya September 13, 2024. REUTERS/Edwin Waita

Ugandan Olympic runner Rebecca Cheptegei, who died after allegedly being doused in petrol and set alight by her former partner, was due to be buried on Saturday with full military honours.

Cheptegei returned to her home in the highlands of western Kenya, an area popular with international runners for its high altitude training facilities, after coming 44th in the marathon at the Paris Olympics on August 11.

It would be her final race.

Three weeks later her former boyfriend, Dickson Ndiema Marangach, allegedly attacked Cheptegei as she returned from church with her two daughters and younger sister in the village of Kinyoro, Kenya police and her family said.

Her father Joseph Cheptegei told Reuters that his daughter had approached police at least three times to file complaints against Marangach, most recently on Aug. 30, two days before the alleged attack by her former partner.

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She suffered burns to 80% of her body and succumbed to her injuries four days later.

“I don’t think I am going to make it,” she told her father while being treated in hospital, he said.

“If I die, just bury me at home in Uganda.”

Cheptegei’s tragic death sparked anger over the high levels of violence against women in Kenya, particularly in the athletics community, with the marathoner becoming the third elite runner to allegedly die at the hands of a romantic partner since 2021.

One in three Kenyan girls or women aged 15-49 have suffered physical violence, according to government data from 2022.

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Rights groups say female athletes in Kenya are at a high risk of exploitation and violence by men drawn to their prize money, which far exceeds local incomes.

Cheptegei’s sporting successes include winning the 2021 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Thailand, and a year later earning first place in the Padova Marathon in Italy and setting a national record for the marathon.

Born in eastern Uganda in 1991, she met Marangach during a training visit to Kenya, later moving to the country to pursue her dream of becoming an elite runner.

Marangach died a few days after Cheptegei, from burns allegedly sustained during the attack, dividing opinion among the local running community.

“Justice really would have been for him to sit in jail and think about what he had done,” said marathoner Viola Cheptoo, co-founder of Tirop’s Angels, a support group for athletes facing domestic violence in Kenya.

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The circumstances of Cheptegei’s death shocked the world, but her name may yet inspire future athletes, with the French capital planning to name a sports facility in her honour.

“She dazzled us here in Paris. We saw her. Her beauty, her strength, her freedom,” the city’s mayor Anne Hidalgo told reporters. “Paris will not forget her.”

-Reuters

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Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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OBITUARY

At last, Peter Fregene passes away

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Nigerian football legend, Segun Odegbami who has been at the forefront of the life-saving efforts for former Nigerian international goalkeeper, Peter Fregene, has broken the sad news of the goalkeeper.

He announced that Fregene passed on, aged 77, surrounded by his wife and two of his children.

“A few minutes ago, Peter ‘Apo’ Fregene, OLY, former goalkeeper for Nigeria’s Green Eagles, who has been on life support for the past one week, passed on to meet his creator. He died quietly in the presence of two of his children and his devoted wife, Tina,”  Odegbami wrote on Sunday.

Fregene, was a member of the Nigerian team at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico. He last played for Nigeria on 13 March 1982 when Nigeria lost 3-0 to Zambia in a Group B AFCON match in Benghazi.

For years, he had been battling with illness and spent the last week on life-support.

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Doyen of Morocco sports journalism, Belaid Bouimid is dead

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The Late Belaïd Bouimid

Moroccan Journalist, great expert on sports, poet with a sharp pen and above all a precursor of press cartoons in Morocco, Belaïd Bouimid passed away on Monday.

According to Moroccan publication, 360 Sport, Bouimid passed on after a long and courageous fight against illness. He was 75 years old.

He was reportedly admitted to at a clinic in Casablanca where he underwent yet another surgical operation after his health deteriorated. Belaïd Bouimid was used to getting back up. But not this time. The dean of Moroccan journalists, a true big brother to all sports journalists in the country, he passed away on Monday, September 23, 2024 at the age of 75.

Throughout his career, he distinguished himself not only through his expertise and love for sports but also through his intellectual curiosity and open-mindedness.

He was not just a journalist but a deeply cultured man, attuned to the evolving artistic, literary, and cultural landscapes. His sports analyses were often enriched with cultural references, giving him a unique and original perspective.

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His humanity, sharp mind, and insightful view of the world inspired many generations, whether in the editorial offices or the artistic circles he cherished so much.

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OBITUARY

Former AIPS-Africa president, Mitchell Obi mourns the dean of Moroccan journalists

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Late Belaid Bouimid

“Really sad. ” That was the first reaction of Mitchell Obi, the immediate past president of continental sports writing body, AIPS-Africa, after learning of the passage of Belaid Bouimid, the dean of sports journalists in Morocco.

 Continuing, Obi remarked: “The exit of a reliable and splendid voice. Unforgettable times with a friend who gave his utmost to lift the African sporting press.

“Belaid was brilliant in his communication style and he created laughter from nothing. Simple, self effacing but deeply functional.

“He remains my President and Africa will cherish the sterling contributions of one who truly launched AIPS Africa from its heritage of ASJU.

“A companion for all seasons, my tearful heart goes to the family and friends in Casablanca, Morocco and beyond.

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All that goes returns. Rest well Belaid Boumid … you left us with plenty to remember you by.”

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