21 athletes go missing after games
British Immigration officials are trying to track down 21 athletes from an African Commonwealth Games squad who vanished after the games, the Home Office said today.
The hunt is on for more than two thirds of the Sierra Leone team who failed to return home after the Manchester games finished earlier this month.
It is feared that the members of the 30-strong West African team, who come from one of the world’s poorest countries, may have used the games as a ploy to gain entry to the UK permanently.
A Home Office spokeswoman said that before the start of the games temporary visas were issued to accredited members of the Sierra Leone team.
“The British High Commission were disappointed to learn that 21 team members have not returned to Sierra Leone.
“The UK Immigration authorities have been notified and will be investigating individual cases.
“In arranging these events there is always a risk that participants will use the event to secure entry into the UK for another purpose,” she added.
She would not confirm further details about the athletes but believes they were missing since about August 12, just over a week after the games ended.
Sierra Leone teams have competed in the Commonwealth Games since 1966 and have never won a medal.
Four Bangladeshi sprinters also vanished during the Commonwealth Games, abandoning their places in the men’s 4x100 metre semi-final relay event.
Humayan Kabir, Maruf Reza, Shah Dilawar Hussain and Safiqul Islam disappeared from the Athletes Village in Fallowfield, Greater Manchester, while the games were continuing leaving suitcases and passports behind.
A further mystery was provided by 19-year-old Pakistani swimming champion Abid Hussain.
The backstroke star failed to return to his team’s camp after visiting friends but Pakistani team officials fear he may have gone in search of a job in the UK.
