Four members of Uganda’s boxing team have reportedly gone missing after the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, with reports suggesting the quartet intend to seek asylum in the UK.
Team captain Nuhu Batte and fellow male athlete Ibrahim Khemis, along with female boxers Angel Katushabe and Emily Nakalema, are said to have failed to turn up ahead of the team’s scheduled return to their home country on Tuesday.
Uganda entered a six-member boxing team at the Games, which came to an end on Sunday.
Authorities are said to be working to establish the whereabouts of the athletes, with details of their disappearance shared by the Ugandan press.
Team Uganda officials said the Ministry of Education and Sports is preparing an official statement.
However, speaking on condition of anonymity, someone claiming to be one of the missing boxers told local news outlet NBS Sport that the athletes intend to seek asylum and continue their boxing careers “in a country they believe offers better training facilities and opportunities”.
The boxer appealed to Ugandans for understanding and asked not to be judged for the decision, NBS Sport said.
The Weekly Observer, a Ugandan newspaper, also reported the disappearances, claiming to have spoken to officials at Uganda Bombers, the country’s national boxing team.
Ugandan athletes have previously disappeared at major sporting events, with at least six competitors refusing to return home after the Commonwealth Games in Australia in 2018.
Two Ugandan rugby sevens players, Benon Kizza and Philip Pariyo, also went missing after Glasgow 2014.
They later claimed asylum, moved to Cardiff and played for a local rugby team.
Neither the Home Office nor the Scottish Government responded to requests for comment.
Uganda’s Ministry of Education and Sports and the Uganda Bombers team have also been approached for comment.
heraldscotland.com
