“The games ended over two weeks ago. But most of the officials and athletes are nowhere to be seen”
Over fifty Sierra Leonean officials and athletes who attended the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, U.K. have either gone missing or still enjoying a vacation in the country. This was revealed to TV Salone news by a government official who travelled with the delegation to the games.
“I can confirm to you that over 50 members of the delegation including about 30 athletes and 22 officials are nowhere to be seen. I know few athletes in the swimming category and few from the other disciplines flew back to Freetown few days ago. But the bulk of that total are nowhere to be seen” the official added.
The source further said, to ensure the athletes and other officials participate actively in the games, the delegation heads held their allowances and passports until the last day. “If we had given them their allowances earlier, they would probably not have participated in the games” the source added.
Sierra Leone registered dozens of athletes for nine sporting disciplines in this year’s Commonwealth games. But only 15 participated without wining a medal. “Some athletes are very promising. We were expecting medals. But it looks like their plan to stay in the UK overshadowed their performance in the competition, our source added.
It’s still unclear how many of the officials and athletes will continue to stay in the UK and how many will return. The games ended over two weeks ago. But the officials and athletes still have valid visas to stay in the country for the next six months. Its only after that period we would know how many have returned to Sierra Leone. Two of the officials told TV Salone News they are on vacation after the games and will return to Freetown next week.
Another source told TV Salone most of the officials and athletes will seek asylum on the grounds of the high number of civilian deaths in the country by security personnel. Since 2018, dozens of civilians have lost their lives in the hands of state security personnel in protests and other targeted political killings.