Uganda Olympic Committee has assured the country that they are doing everything to find vanished weightlifter Julius Ssekitoleko.
Ssekitoleko has gone missing in Izumisano City ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
Ssekitoleko, who was part of Team Uganda’s first batch in Tokyo, was on the waiting list to compete for Uganda but he was told that he was ineligible to take part.
Per reports in Tokyo, a COVID-19 test was set to be conducted on the weightlifter but he was not anywhere in a team hotel.
“We have learnt from our team leader in Izumisano Osaka City that one member of the team that was in the pre training camp has gone missing,” reads a statement from Chef de Mission Beatrice Ayikoru.
“The member is Julius Sekitoleko a weightlifter. it was anticipated that Mr Ssekitoleko would qualify for the games however he did not make the quota as informed by the International weightlifting Federation on July 5th 2021. He together with his coach where due to return to Uganda on July 2021.”
Police in Japan has confirrmed to have launched a search for the weightlifter.
Ayikoru adds: “We, during our regular team briefings both in Uganda and in Japan emphasized inter alia the need to respect the immigration regulations of Japan and not opt to leave the camp without authorization.”
“Our team in Izumisano is cooperating with the Osaka authorities to try and locate Mr Sekitoleko. We shall keep you posted on any further developments in this regard.”
Ssekitoleko, who was in Japan in the hopes of competing at the games, is the latest Ugandan to vanish after Rugby player James Odongo went missing in France at the Olympic Rugby 7s Repechage Tournament.
