Uganda Olympic Committee President Donald Rukare has expressed disappointment after four of the six boxers who represented Uganda at the recently concluded Commonwealth Games reportedly disappeared in Glasgow.
The athletes who went missing after completing their bouts are Nuhu Batte, Emily Nakalema, Ibrahim Kemis and Angel Katushabe.
Rukare who doubles as the Commonwealth Games Federation President warned that the incident could negatively affect Team Uganda’s ability to secure visas for future international competitions.
“By the time the last batch of the team left, four of them didn’t report for departure. They didn’t return to camp, and we have only three of their passports,” Rukare said.
“Every member of the team signed a code of conduct confirming they would abide by the rules. We also held discussions with them both collectively and individually.
“All members of the team have visas valid until October, so technically their visas remain valid. However, their return tickets were booked for Wednesday.
“They informed their coach and team manager that they had gone to visit friends, but they never returned.
“After waiting for them without success, we activated our response protocol through the Chef de Mission and the team. We notified the relevant authorities at three levels: in Uganda, the Local Organising Committee, and the local authorities in Glasgow, as well as officials at the Games Village.”
Uganda has experienced similar incidents before. During the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, weightlifter Julius Ssekitoleko disappeared from the athletes’ village before being located by Japanese authorities.
“We are disappointed. This has the potential to undermine future visa approvals for our teams at upcoming international competitions,” Rukare added.
Uganda fielded six boxers at the Commonwealth Games, with Aziz Ringo and Alfred Ojok completing the squad. None of the country’s boxers progressed to the medal rounds.
Nakalema and Katushabe were both eliminated in the quarterfinals, losing to Australia’s Eve Bryson and England’s Ruby White, respectively.
Kemis exited in the round of 32 after losing to Zambia’s Albert Ngulube.
Batte enjoyed Uganda’s best run at the tournament, defeating Nigeria’s Abdul Wahab and India’s Aditya Pratap Yadav before losing to England’s Patris Mughalzai in the quarterfinals.
Uganda won three medals at the concluded Glasgow Games – Silver for the Gazelles in 3×3 Women Basketball, Silver for Husnah Kukundakwe and Bronze for Peruth Chemutai in 3000m Women’s Steeplechase.
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