Four Ugandan boxers who represented the country at the 2026 Commonwealth Games have reportedly gone missing in the United Kingdom following the conclusion of the event.
The missing athletes are Nuhu Batte, Emily Nakalema, Ibrahim Kemis and Angel Katushabe.
The quartet was absent from Team Uganda’s delegation at the closing ceremony on Sunday, with reports indicating that some of them disappeared shortly after their respective bouts.
Uganda sent six boxers to the Games, with Aziz Ringo and Alfred Ojok completing the squad. None of the Ugandan boxers progressed into the medal positions.
Nakalema and Katushabe were both eliminated at the quarterfinal stage, losing to Australia’s Eve Bryson and England’s Ruby White, respectively.
Kemis exited in the round of 32 after defeat to Zambia’s Albert Ngulube.
Batte enjoyed the country’s best run in the competition, defeating Nigeria’s Abdul Wahab and India’s Aditya Pratap Yadav before losing to England’s Patris Mughalzai in the quarterfinals.
The latest incident adds to a series of high-profile disappearances involving Ugandan athletes at major international sporting events.
At the delayed Tokyo Olympics in 2021, weightlifter Julius Ssekitoleko disappeared from Uganda’s pre-Games training camp in Izumisano, Japan, before later being traced by Japanese authorities.
At the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia, six Ugandan athletes also went missing after the competition, reportedly in pursuit of better career opportunities or asylum. They included weightlifters Irene Kasuubo and Kalidi Batuusa, boxers Regan Ssimbwa and Bashir Nasir, table tennis player Halima Nambozo, and cyclist Vienna Ssekanga.
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