Missing Ugandan weightlifter wanted to stay in Japan
The logos of Tokyo 2020 are displayed at a steet near Odaiba Seaside Park in Tokyo on July 7, 2021, as reports said the Japanese government plans to impose a virus state of emergency in Tokyo during the Olympics. (Photo by Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP)
TOKYO—An Ugandan weightlifter who 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 had not qualified to take part in the Tokyo Games, and 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.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics, postponed for a year due to the global pandemic, is being held under tight quarantine rules, restricting participants’ movements to prevent the spread of infections.
