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| Sri Lanka's Commonwealth Games squad at the opening ceremony of the Games in Birmingham on July 28, 2022 (photo: AFP) |
Sri Lankan officials have confirmed that a wrestler, a judoka and a judo coach are missing and police are investigating.
Three members of the Sri Lankan contingent at the Commonwealth Games have gone missing, after which other players and officials have been asked to surrender their passports.
According to the Associated Press (AP), Sri Lankan officials have confirmed that a wrestler, a judoka and a judo coach are missing.
Sri Lankan team spokesman Gobinath Sivarajah told The Telegraph in India on Wednesday that Birmingham police are investigating the absence of the three members.
He said that after the incident, we have asked all the players and officials to submit their passports to the officials.
He said: "The police are investigating and the three cannot cross the borders of the United Kingdom." What has happened is really unfortunate.
Sri Lanka is going through the worst economic crisis in its history where protests have continued for several weeks.
The team's spokesperson also said that the three missing men were on six-month visas for the visit and "therefore it is difficult to come to any firm conclusions about the reasons for their disappearance."
According to the American Akhbaz Daily Mail, all 161 Sri Lankan players and coaching staff were granted 180-day visas by the government for the event.
Sri Lanka, which selected a 161-man squad for the 2022 Games, has so far won one bronze medal in Birmingham.
This is not the first time that athletes have gone missing from a major global sporting event.
According to the Associated Press, about a third of Cameroon's team at the 2018 Games on Australia's Gold Coast went missing after the event.
Rwanda's weightlifting coach also left during a toilet break at the stadium.
It is reported that at least 230 players and officials applied for protection visas in Australia after the event, but the majority were refused.
According to the BBC, 21 athletes and coaches disappeared during the London 2012 Olympics, while in 2011 an entire Senegalese football team disappeared from their hotel in France.
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