Pakistan and Uganda athletes ‘missing’ after Commonwealth Games

Police are looking into reports of ‘missing’ athletes who didn’t return home after the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony.

Scottish ‌police are investigating reports of foreign ⁠athletes, identified ⁠in the media as boxers from Uganda and Pakistan, who failed to return home ⁠after competing in the Commonwealth Games that ended in Glasgow last Sunday.

“Police Scotland has ⁠received reports of several athletes who are unaccounted for,” a spokesperson said late on Tuesday.

“Enquiries are ongoing to assess the circumstances, and early engagement is taking ‌place with the Home Office.”

Uganda’s NBS Sport reported that four of the country’s six-member boxing team had gone missing ahead of the team’s scheduled return home on Tuesday and one of them told the broadcaster they ⁠planned to seek asylum.

The Pakistan ⁠Today website said one of the country’s boxers had also failed to show up for a flight home on Tuesday.

Reports ⁠of missing athletes after Commonwealth Games have been common in recent ⁠editions, which have been hosted ⁠in Australia or Britain since Glasgow 2014.

After the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in Australia, authorities were still searching for 50 athletes and officials a month after the competition ended, while another 190 had sought asylum.

Some 3,000 ‌athletes ‌from 74 nations attended the 11 days of the Glasgow Games.