Ugandan weightlifter goes missing from training camp in Japan

A Ugandan weightlifter has gone missing during an Olympic training camp in Japan after learning he would not be able to compete, Japanese and Ugandan officials said Friday.

Authorities were searching for Julius Ssekitoleko, 20, who failed to show up for a coronavirus test and was not in his hotel room, host city Izumisano said in a statement.

Ugandan sports officials said the athlete had recently found out he would not be able to compete at the Games because of a quota system.

Ssekitoleko went missing from an Olympic training camp on Friday left a note saying he wanted to stay in Japan, media reports said, adding to confusion ahead of the Games which begin next week.

Julius Ssekitoleko was discovered missing from the Ugandan team’s training site in Izumisano, a city in Osaka, western Japan.

Media reports said he left behind a note saying he wanted to stay and work in Japan, as life in Uganda was difficult.

Ssekitoleko was due to return to Uganda next Tuesday.

A nearby train station recorded him purchasing a bullet train ticket to Nagoya in central Japan, the reports said.