A Ugandan weightlifter has reportedly gone missing during an Olympic training camp in Japan a week from the opening of the Tokyo Games.
According to Izumisano city officials, Julius Ssekitoleko, 20, failed to show up for a coronavirus test and was not in his hotel room.
“One member of the Ugandan delegation, which the city received as a host town, has gone missing and cannot be reached,” the city of Izumisano said in a statement quoted by AFP.
“The city is making all efforts to search for the individual. We have reported the matter to police.”
According to the statement, Ssekitoleko was last seen shortly after midnight inside the hotel by a fellow athlete.
He, however, failed to conduct a required PCR test by shortly after noon and the alarm was raised when he was not found in his hotel room.
Olympic dream was over
Daily Monitor reported on Wednesday that Ssekitoleko had missed a slot into the games through the quota system in the 67Kg weight category.
Ssekitoleko had joined the pending list (for qualification) after winning 67kg bronze during the Africa Weightlifting Championships at Ruaraka Sports Club in Nairobi, Kenya in May after lifting 100Kg in clean and 130Kg in clean and jerk for a total 230Kg.
According to Beatrice Ayikoru, the Uganda Olympic Committee (UOC) general secretary, Ssekitoleko was to return home on Tuesday next week.
“We received communication late that Uganda had no quota for weightlifting. He (Ssekitoleko) will be returning on July 20,” Ayikoru was quoted by the publication.
That was bound to happen especially for the first time olympians.
To bad for team Uganda, I hope they find him soon.