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A further three athletes from the Cameroon Commonwealth Games team have gone missing from the athletes’ village, bringing the total number to eight.
The three athletes left the village on Tuesday night after the news broke in Cameroon media about their teammates’ disappearance, the team’s Chef de Mission said.
Five boxers and three weightlifters are among the athletes.
Commonwealth Games organisers earlier said the disappearance of the athletes was being monitored but was not yet an issue for authorities.
Cameroon state broadcaster CRTV named the boxers and weightlifters who had “irregularly” left the Athletes’ Village, some before competing in their scheduled events, as Olivier Matam, Minkoumba Petit David, Arcangeline Fouodji Sonkbou, Ndzie Tchoyi Christian and Fotsala Simplice.
As the athletes are yet to overstay their visas, police are not yet investigating the matter.
“All inquiries regarding the current status or location of any Cameroon athlete is a matter for the Cameroon Commonwealth Games Association to address,” Queensland Police said in a statement.
Commonwealth Games Federation chief executive David Grevemberg said the athletes had not outstayed their visas but the situation was being monitored.
“It’s obviously disappointing that some of the athletes who have come to compete didn’t compete as they were scheduled to compete,” he said.
“It’s important to remember that these athletes are guests here in Australia at this time, they are still within their visas, they have a right to travel freely.
“But this is obviously an issue that Team Cameroon is monitoring very, very closely.
“Until it becomes a real issue in terms of visas and so forth we would obviously have to take that very seriously.
“Right now the safety and welfare of those athletes from a Team Cameroon perspective is being taken very seriously.”
Gold Coast Commonwealth Games chairman Peter Beattie said the matter was “not a surprise”.
“It happens at every Games,” he said.
“There is a mechanism in place … they haven’t breached their visas.
“But it is a matter for their own Commonwealth Games Association to monitor.
“If there are any breaches down the track they will be dealt with by the CGA and the appropriate department.
“Peter Dutton did warn about this and he will see the matter if it gets to that point.”
Earlier, the African nation’s team manager Victor Agbor Nso told the Journal du Cameroon that the athletes, who had been due to compete on Tuesday, could not be found.
The team lost contact with the boxers and three weightlifters at various points in time since the Games began on April 4.
“We have officially informed our hierarchy back home: the Ministry of Sports and the president of the National Olympic Committee of Cameroon,” Mr Nso told Cameroon’s CRTV.
“We have also laid a formal complaint to the Australian police.”
More than 6600 athletes and officials are in Australia for the Commonwealth Games, with 41 competing for Cameroon.
Prior to the Games, Home Affairs Minister Mr Dutton warned athletes and officials travelling to Australia against overstaying their visas.
“Australia welcomes the thousands of athletes, support staff and sports fans who will travel to the Gold Coast for the Commonwealth Games,’’ Mr Dutton told The Courier-Mail in January.
“I’m sure the city, the state and the nation will do all we can to make sure they have a fabulous time.
“However, visitors are expected to abide the conditions of their visa and there are penalties for those who do the wrong thing.
“Australia’s reputation on being tough on border security and cancelling visas of people who don’t abide by Australian laws won’t be compromised.”
Athletes using the occasion of big sporting events to seek asylum in host nations is not new.
More than 40 athletes, mostly from African nations, overstayed their visas after the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games.
And more than 100 athletes overstayed their visas after the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Last month, Rwanda’s Sports and Culture Minister Julienne Uwacu warned athletes at a send-off ceremony not to consider “escaping while on national duty”.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sp...g/news-story/832c34898a6270f3fee71e6f3aac9b64
