|
Police catch runaway athletes
Australian police have detained six athletes from the Sierra Leone team who went missing from the Commonwealth Games village in Melbourne. Eight other Sierra Leone squad members are still unaccounted for, and Cameroon report nine of their athletes missing. They were all hoping to stay in Australia after the Games finished but will now have their visas revoked. The three men and three women from Sierra Leone will be detained until immigration authorities collect them. Immigration officials said they would be happy to talk to the missing athletes if they came forward. Over half of Sierra Leone's 22-strong squad have disappeared, following the 21 who went missing in Manchester four years ago. Eleven athletes were reported missing to police between last Tuesday and Friday, while another three had disappeared from the athletes village in Melbourne by Sunday. A statement from Games organisers confirmed: "At the request of the management of the Sierra Leone team, the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games Corporation has withdrawn accreditation from 14 athletes officially described as missing by Victoria police." An immigration spokesman added: "We strongly urge the athletes, or anyone who knows their whereabouts, to contact local police or their nearest department of immigration office." Australian Prime Minister John Howard has already warned that the country does not give "blanket asylum" to athletes who go missing from sporting teams visiting the country. Australia has some of the toughest policies in the world against illegal immigration. A Tanzanian boxer and a Bangladeshi runner have also gone missing. Source -- BBC News -- http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/commonwealth_games/4846908.stm March 24th 2006 'Missing athletes' handed warning
Visiting athletes are issued sporting visas for the Games Missing Commonwealth Games athletes have been told they will need a "bona fide" reason to seek to stay by Australian officials. Another four athletes from Sierra Leone have disappeared since Thursday taking the total to have fled to 11. Australian Prime Minister John Howard said each case would be handled individually if anybody sought asylum. "We don't give blanket asylum to people who leave sporting teams in this country," Howard told Australian radio. "I don't want any other athletes who might be thinking along those lines to imagine all they have to do is stay behind and we will keep you," Howard added. Officially, they have not breached any immigration rules because they have been issued with special visas for the Games, valid for another month. Most of the missing Sierra Leoneans are members of the athletics team, while another is a weightlifter. Together, they make up about a third of their country's Commonwealth Games contingent. Sierra Leone team officials would not identify the missing athletes but said their disappearance had "dampened the team spirit". "Obviously there is a feeling that it is not the nicest thing to do to the host country and your team-mates to walk out," said Sierra Leone team spokesman Robert Green. Special visas DISAPPEARING ATHLETES
2002 Commonwealth Games: 21 Sierra Leoneans, 5 Bangladeshis, 1 Pakistani missing in Manchester
2002 Asian Games: 12 Nepalese, 3 Sri Lankans and 1 Mongolian missing in S Korea
2000 Sydney Olympics: 80 officials and athletes overstay visas, 11 cases unresolved They have joined what has become a growing list of unaccounted-for athletes. Earlier this week a boxer from Tanzania and a 400m runner from Bangladesh went missing, sparking fears they would try to remain in Australia illegally. Australia's Immigration Department said the athletes' special Games visas expire on 26 April, and they would not become involved until after that date. In the meantime, the police are treating the case as a missing persons investigation and have urged anyone with information about the missing athletes to contact them. During the last Commonwealth Games in the UK city of Manchester more than 20 athletes from Sierra Leone disappeared. Source: BBC News article:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4839962.stm
Seven athletes do a runner
Ellen Whinnett and Anthony Dowsley
23 March 2006
SEVEN Sierra Leone athletes have vanished from the Commonwealth Games village after missing their events.
The athletes, part of a team of 35 competing at the Games, were reported missing by team management about 7pm yesterday. The athletes, both male and female, are aged between 19 and 26. Police at the athletes' village were last night taking missing persons reports. Police spokesman Sgt David Spencer said the athletes had not committed any crime but they were eager to hear from them. "At this stage we don't have any concerns for their welfare," he said. "We were aware they weren't where they were supposed to be in the morning." Sierra Leone chef de mission Mohamed Alpha Kabba refused to take calls last night, referring all inquiries to his press officer. However, the only name that could be provided for the officer was Mr Bah, who had not given his phone number to the Sierra Leone team and had moved out of the village, leaving his key behind. The Immigration Department said last night it was aware of the latest disappearances. But they are not considered to be illegally in Australia until April 26, when their Commonwealth Games visas expire. Seventy per cent of the Sierra Leone team disappeared at the 2002 Manchester Games. Police were already looking for two other athletes before the disappearance of the Sierra Leone competitors. Tanzanian boxer Omari Idd Kimweri has not been seen since 7am on Monday. The 23-year-old flyweight lost a fight on Saturday. Bangladeshi athlete Mohammad Tawhidul Islam, 23, has not been seen since 6.30pm on Monday. The 400m runner ran a heat on Monday and later told teammates he intended to visit the MCG to see the 100m final. Police later found his clothes and possessions in his room. Monday, 15 March 2006 The Sierra Leonean team took part in a spectacular opening ceremony event at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia earlier today. I will post images of the event as they become available. Here is the list and biography of the Athletes taking part in various events at the games: Monday, 13 March 2006 
The Melbourne municipality of the City of Whitehorse along with local businesses and community members has donated $25,000 worth of elite sporting equipment and uniforms to Sierra Leone athletes for the Games. The Sierra Leone team was presented with their new uniforms and sporting equipment for the Games at a welcome lunch hosted by Mount Scopus College in Burwood, Melbourne. |
