Ugandan weightlifter goes missing in Japan ahead of Tokyo Olympics

A Japanese government spokesman said on Friday that police and authorities in the western city of Izumisano were searching for a missing Ugandan athlete.

State television network NHK said that the athlete is a weightlifter and that an official in the city in Osaka prefecture noticed his disappearance during an examination to detect the emerging corona virus.

City officials said the missing athlete was a 20-year-old who was training as part of the nine-member Ugandan team in Izumisano, Osaka Prefecture.

His teammates realized the athlete was absent on Friday noon when his saliva test sample was not delivered and found his hotel room empty.

After failing to find him inside the hotel, officials notified the police for a broader search.

The Olympics, which have been postponed due to the pandemic, kick off on July 23 despite growing concern about an escalation of infections in Tokyo.

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