Three Sri Lankan athletes have vanished from the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, UK. The athletes — a wrestler, a judo star and a judo coach — have not been seen since Monday, August 1.
The missing athletes had surrendered their passports so are not able to leave the country.
Officials have now removed documents for all remaining members of the team currently at the games in Birmingham. All 161 athletes and coaching staff were granted standard 180-day visas by the government for the event.
Sri Lankan team spokesperson Gobinath Sivarajah said:
“We have asked all athletes and officials to submit their passports to our respective venue officials in all the villages after the incident.
“The police are investigating and the three cannot cross the UK borders. What has happened is really unfortunate.” There are fears the three may have disappeared to avoid returning to Sri Lanka.
The country is currently grappling with the worst economic crisis in more than seven decades as medicine, fuel and food begins to run out. A state of emergency has been declared after a string of protests across the nation.
