Participating in an Olympics is dream come true for many. Representing your country among so many nations is something which you can cherish forever. But a Ugandan athlete fled Tokyo Olympics 2020. During pre-Olympics training, Julius Ssekitoleko fled western Japan. He wrote a note that expressed how he didn’t wish to return to his country. The note also said that he wanted to stay in Japan and work here. He didn’t live up to the Olympic standards in the latest international rankings released after his arrival in Japan.
The police informed that the 20-year-old athlete was in the city of Yokkaichi. He had to fly home to Uganda within this week as he failed a place high enough in international rankings to participate in the Olympic Games. He is a Ugandan Olympic weightlifter and his category is 56kg weightlifting. Julius represents Uganda at international competitions. He has also participated in world championships. He even represented his country at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Background of the Missing Story
Julius went missing on July 18th leaving a note and his luggage behind. He was found two days later in Nagoya. He abruptly left the hotel he was staying at without intimation and bought a train ticket to Nagoya. Nagoya is situated some 200 kilometers away from the hotel he stayed. He asked members of the delegation to hand over his belongings to his wife who is staying in his home country.
He became an added person to the list who used the trip of summer games as a route to escape his country. They have apologized to the Japan Government for the disappearance of the athlete. This kind of incident may sound odd, but it has happened many times in the past before. Athletes feel this is a way to escape their home country.
This incident happened a week after the inauguration of the Olympics. There are few positive cases of Covid – 19 among the participants. There are almost 16 new positive cases at the ongoing Olympics. 83 people were tested positive till now in the games.
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