Kenyan city removes 'embarrassing' athlete statues

Authorities successful nan Kenyan metropolis of Eldoret person removed nan statues of 3 athletes aft they were wide bullied and described arsenic "embarrassing" and a poorly done "joke".

The statues were unveiled up of Thursday's ceremonial giving Eldoret metropolis status.

However, section residents and Kenyans online said they bore small resemblance to nan athletes they allegedly represent.

Eldoret is known arsenic nan "home of champions”, arsenic it is astatine nan centre of nan Rift Valley, wherever astir of Kenya’s world-beating athletes travel from.

The statues were removed overnight earlier President William Ruto officially designated Eldoret a city.

The municipality this week unveiled respective creator works, including 3 statues of athletes and different monuments specified arsenic a maize cob and a beverage fountain.

They were expected to correspond nan area’s sports and cultivation practice and were erected astatine various strategical roundabouts successful nan town.

But nan artworks instantly drew wide criticism, becoming objects of ridicule alternatively than nan pridefulness they were expected to elicit.

A Kenyan who shared a photo of a statue of a female jock suspected to correspond 1,500m world-record holder Faith Kipyegon, said nan useful represented “our corporate mediocrity arsenic a country”.

“It’s a ugliness calling it a Faith Kipyegon statue,” another Kenyan connected X said.

Yet different X personification shared a purported statue of marathon fable Eliud Kipchoge terming it a “joke”, saying “whoever did this will not spot heaven”.

On Thursday morning, section media shared images of an quiet pedestal wherever 1 of nan statues had stood.

A section newsman told nan BBC that region officials removed nan 3 statues connected Wednesday night, 2 representing female athletes and 1 of a male, taking them to an chartless location.

The authorities person not indicated who they correspond but societal media users person described 1 arsenic a statue of Kipyegon and different of Kipchoge.

But their depiction of nan athletes has been described arsenic "shameless", "embarrassing" and "substandard".

Kenyans online person been welcoming nan removal of nan statues. It was not clear whether they would beryllium replaced, aliases when.

Ahead of nan ceremonial to state Eldoret Kenya's 5th city, President Ruto hosted athletes who won medals astatine nan 2024 Olympics.

They were each rewarded pinch money successful accordance pinch a authorities strategy meant to motivate athletes for bully performance.

Kenya was nan highest-ranked African state astatine nan Paris Olympics, coming 17th connected nan badge array pinch 4 golds and a full of 11 medals.

Kipyegon won nan 1,500m title successful a caller Olympic grounds of 3min 51.29sec, nan first female to triumph 3 consecutive golds successful nan event.

She besides took metallic successful nan 5,000m.

However, Kipchoge did not decorativeness nan marathon aft a backmost wounded forced him to driblet out.