Five more African athletes may have vanished from the Commonwealth Games, organisers said Thursday, after eight competitors from Cameroon were suspected of fleeing a day earlier.
Gold Coast organisers confirmed a Rwandan athlete, two Ugandans and potentially one Ghanaian are also missing in action. while they were also looking to verify the whereabouts of two squash players from Sierra Leone.
Games Federation chief executive David Grevemberg said on Thursday officials are monitoring preliminary reports that athletes from Sierra Leone, Uganda and Rwanda have bolted from the athletes’ village. He admitted the five athletes’ whereabouts are unknown, but stressed it is too early for officials to be certain that the athletes have attempted to flee undetected.
The news comes after Cameroon revealed on Wednesday eight of its 42-strong Games team are missing, including two boxers who failed to appear for their events.
“We’re obviously looking at it very carefully,” Commonwealth Games Federation chief executive David Grevemberg told reporters.
Commonwealth Games boss Peter Beattie said while the athletes’ visas allow them to spend time enjoying Australia, they should return to their home country as scheduled.
“We encourage people to get a visa, come here and compete, stay a little while after, spend some money in this country and then go home, and that’s our position,” Mr Beattie told ABC Radio.
More than 100 athletes overstayed their visas at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Athlete visas for the Commonwealth Games expire on May 15, Grevemberg said.
