Four Ugandan boxers have absconded after the conclusion of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, talkSPORT reports.
The missing athletes have been identified as Angel Katushabe, Nuhu Batte, Ibrahim Khemis and Emily Nakalema.
According to Ugandan publication NBS Sports, all four boxers failed to meet up with the rest of their teammates for their scheduled return home.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, one of the missing boxers told NBS that the four athletes intend to seek asylum.
The boxers stated that they wish to continue their pugilistic careers in a country that offers better training facilities and opportunities.
They also appealed to Ugandans for understanding and asked not to be judged for the decision.
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Officials are currently working to locate the athletes, with the Ministry of Education and Sports set to release a statement shortly regarding the incident.
This isn’t the first time Ugandan sportspeople have disappeared after the Commonwealth Games.
At least six athletes refused to return home after the 2018 Games on the Gold Coast, Australia.
Two rugby sevens players, Benon Kizza and Philip Pariyo, also went missing the last time Glasgow hosted the Commonwealth Games in 2014.
Both men went on to claim asylum and moved to Cardiff to play for a local rugby team.
Missing boxers Katushabe, Batte, and Nakalema all bowed out in the quarter-finals, while Khemis was knocked out in the preliminary rounds.
The other two boxers, who rejoined the squad, Alfred Ojok and Aziz Abdul, were also unable to progress beyond the quarter-finals.
Abdul, grandson of dictator Idi Amin, was disqualified from his quarterfinal bout with English heavyweight and eventual gold medal winner Damar Thomas after landing a deliberate headbutt.
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Source: Complete Sports
