Five more African athletes may have vanished from the Commonwealth Games, organizers made this known on Thursday, April 12, 2018, after eight competitors from Cameroon were suspected of fleeing a day earlier.
Gold Coast organisers confirmed reports that athletes from Rwanda and Uganda were thought to have gone missing, while they were also looking to verify the whereabouts of two squash players from Sierra Leone.
More than 100 athletes overstayed their visas at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Athlete visas for the Commonwealth Games expire on May 15, Grevemberg said.
Eight athletes from conflict-hit Cameroon — one-third of the central African country’s 24-strong team — were said to be missing from the Commonwealth Games on Wednesday, sparking an Australian Border Force manhunt.
As the search continues for Cameroon’s five boxers and three weightlifters, Grevemberg insisted the welfare of the athletes came first.
Victor Agbor Nso, the Cameroon team manager told local media he had reported the matter to police on Wednesday.
Peter Dutton, Australia’s Home Affairs Minister warned that athletes would be forcibly removed from the country if they attempted to overstay their visas.
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