SYDNEY, 11 April 2016:
A total of six Cameroonian athletes were unaccounted for today after failing to appear for their events at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in Australia.
Scheduled for a quarterfinal matchup in the 81kg boxing division, Cameroon’s Ulrich Rodrigue Yombo was a ‘no show’ at the weigh-in.
This came after fellow boxers Ndzie Tchoyi and Simplice Fotsala also went missing yesterday. along with weightlifter Olivier Matam.
Two other weightlifters Aka Angeline Filji and Mikoumba Petit David were believed to have left the athletes’ village some time last week – however Cameroon team manager Victor Agbor Nso was not able to specify when.
“It’s obviously disappointing that some of the athletes that have come, didn’t compete,” Commonwealth Games Federation chief executive David Grevemberg said.
“Until it becomes a real issue in terms of visas and so forth we would obviously need to take that very seriously but right now it’s a safety and welfare issue for those athletes from a Team Cameroon perspective.”
Although somewhat strange, its not all that unusual for athletes to overstay their visas and attempt to remain in Australia.
During the Melbourne Commonwealth Games in 2006, seven athletes from Africa’s Sierra Leone went missing. They attempted to apply for political asylum and remain in the country.
– Bernama