An athlete from Uganda who fled his Olympic training camp has been found. The police in Mie Prefecture announced on Tuesday that 20-year-old weightlifter Julius Ssekitoleko was in the city of Yokkaichi, around 170 kilometers east of his training camp in Izumisano, Osaka Prefecture. He is being interrogated by the police. OC managing director Toshiro Muto said that information would be obtained first before deciding how to proceed in the case. The athlete disappeared last week after missing out on Olympic qualification. He was supposed to be flying home. But he left a note in his hotel room stating that he wanted to live and work in Japan.
The strict corona measures for the Olympics stipulate that athletes are only allowed to move between their accommodation and the training or competition facilities. They are not allowed to come into contact with the local population. The Games will open on Friday despite ongoing concerns among Japan's population about rising infection rates. On Tuesday, the Olympic city of Tokyo reported 1,387 cases within 24 hours, 557 more than a week earlier.
Two members of Uganda's team tested positive for the corona virus after arriving in Japan, although all team members are said to have been vaccinated. The delta variant was detected in them. The team was one of the first teams to arrive in Japan last month, but did not start preparatory training until the beginning of July due to the positive corona notices. The team moved into the athletes' village in Tokyo on Tuesday.