The Ugandan weightlifter missing since Friday from a training camp in Japan has been found “safe and sound”, according to the Japanese police.
Julius Ssekitoleko had disappeared after failing to appear for a Covid-19 test.
An official of the Osaka police on Tuesday told reporters that the man was found in the prefecture of Mie without any injury and without any criminal involvement.
The official said he was found in a house belonging to people connected to him, adding that the sportsman had offered “no resistance and that they were still questioning him about his motives.
The 20-year-old athlete had disappeared from the hotel in Izumisano, near Osaka (west) where he was staying with his group, announced the authorities of this municipality which hosts their base camp.
Julius Ssekitoleko, who recently won the bronze medal at the African Weightlifting Championships, was on a waiting list for the Olympics but recently lost all hope of participating due to Olympic quotas.
He was expected to return to his country soon and was part of the first group of nine Ugandan athletes, coaches and managers who arrived in Japan in mid-June.
Police said Tuesday that the man had traveled to Nagoya and then to Gifu Prefecture, before heading south to Mie.
Drastic restrictions have been planned in Japan for all participants in the Tokyo Olympics (July 23-August 8), while the reported health crisis worsens in the country.
The athletes must be tested daily and their movements are extremely restricted, limited between their accommodations, their training centers and their competition places.
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