ALMATY -- Almaty authorities unveiled a plaque honouring slain Kazakh Olympic figure skater Denis Ten Wednesday (November 7) on the wall of the apartment block where he was born and lived, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reported.
Ten, whose 2014 Winter Olympic bronze medal made him the first Kazakh figure skater to win an Olympic medal, was killed in Almaty in July by two men who were trying to steal his car's mirrors.
Two suspects were detained and charged with his slaying.
Deputy Almaty Mayor Arman Kyrykbayev, Kazakh singer Roza Rymbayeva and Russian figure skating coach Tatyana Tarasova, who trained Ten in Moscow for many years, attended the ceremony, Kazinform reported.
Ten was "a unique person", said Tarasova, according to RFE/RL, adding that he stayed in Kazakhstan even though he could have lived in many other countries.
"Because of him, everybody learned" where Kazakhstan is on the map, she said, according to Tengri News.
Ten was a patriot, a real hero and a role model for his peers, according to Rymbayeva.
Ten made millions of Kazakhs feel proud of their country, said Kyrykbayev, according to Kazinform. "We, along with his family, are designing a future monument to our hero. We hope that the monument will be installed in the spring."
The mayor's office also plans to hold an annual international tournament in memory of Ten, Kyrykbayev added.
