Disappeared During COVID-19 Test at Training Camp
Left Note Saying "I Don't Want to Go Back to Uganda"
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] A Ugandan weightlifter who entered Japan as part of the Tokyo Olympic delegation and suddenly disappeared saying "I don't want to go back" was caught by the police after several dozen days. The athlete is expected to return to his home country soon.
On the 20th (local time), according to reports from Japan's Kyodo News and the US media The New York Times (NYT), the Ugandan Embassy in Tokyo stated, "We are closely cooperating with Japanese authorities to ensure the safe and secure return of Sekitoleko as planned."
According to the embassy, Julius Sekitoleko (20), a weightlifter belonging to the Ugandan delegation, is scheduled to return to Uganda as early as the 21st.
Sekitoleko was one of nine Ugandan athletes who entered Japan on the 19th of last month. Although he was not included in the official weightlifting roster, he entered as a standby athlete.
However, on the 16th, nearly a month after entering Japan, Sekitoleko suddenly disappeared. At that time, Japanese police authorities revealed that Sekitoleko vanished while undergoing a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test to determine whether he was infected with COVID-19 at the training camp.
A note was reportedly left at Sekitoleko's accommodation stating, "Life in Uganda is difficult. I don't want to go back and want to work in Japan." There was also a request to deliver his belongings to his wife in Uganda.
Since two members of the Ugandan delegation tested positive for COVID-19 at the airport and training camp respectively, concerns about a cluster infection arose. If Sekitoleko was also infected with COVID-19, there was a risk of spreading the disease to the local community.
The police launched an investigation to track Sekitoleko. It was later confirmed that Sekitoleko purchased a Shinkansen ticket to Nagoya, and on the 19th, he was spotted on Nagoya Station's closed-circuit television (CCTV).
Sekitoleko was found in Yokkaichi, about 40 km south of Nagoya.
Meanwhile, images of Sekitoleko training recently were shared on social networking services (SNS), becoming a topic of discussion among some netizens.
The photos were found on Sekitoleko's SNS account, showing a harsh environment where he trained with exercise equipment set up by the roadside with old exterior walls visible.
Japanese netizens who saw the photos expressed sympathy, saying things like, "He must have been so fed up that he fled even after participating in the Olympics," and "It's unfortunate."
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