It was a police official from Osaka, Japan, who made the announcement on Tuesday.

Ugandan weightlifter Julius Ssekitoleko has been found "unharmed".

The 20-year-old athlete disappeared from the Izumisano hotel near Osaka on Friday, where he was staying with his group in their base camp.

He had previously failed to appear for a Covid-19 screening test.

"Today [Tuesday], the man was found in the prefecture of Mie [in the center of the country] without any injury and without any criminal implication", indicated the police chief.

The Ugandan weightlifter “had his ID with him and identified himself.

We don't know to whom we should refer the man, to the team or to the embassy, ​​”he added.

He was not going to participate in the Olympics

Julius Ssekitoleko, who recently won the bronze medal at the African Weightlifting Championships, was on a waiting list for the Tokyo Olympics but recently lost hope of participating due to Olympic quotas.

He was due to return to his country soon.

He was among the first group of nine Ugandan athletes, coaches and executives who arrived in Japan in mid-June, and two non-athletic members had tested positive for coronavirus soon after.

The whole group had to do quarantine in stride.

Police said on Tuesday that the man had traveled to Nagoya and then to Gifu prefecture, before heading south to Mie.

"He was found in a house belonging to people in connection with him", specified the head of the police force, adding that the sportsman had put up "no resistance.

We continue to question him about his motivations ”.

The Olympics, which start on Friday and end on August 8, will take place in a very tense health and security context, against the backdrop of the expansion of the Covid-19 epidemic.

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  • Weightlifting

  • Japan

  • Disappearance

  • Coronavirus

  • Tokyo Olympics 2021

  • Sport

  • Covid 19

  • Uganda