2020 Tokyo Olympics: A Ugandan weightlifter runs away from camp in Japan to seek a better life

There is a piece of trending news about a Ugandan who has run away from camp in Japan during the ongoing Tokyo Olympics. The Uganda Olympic Committee (UOC) recently announces that one of the athletes they presented has run away from a pre-training camp in Izumisano, Osaka, ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Games.

This person in question is a Weightlifter with the name Julius Sekitoleko, the report came in when many people in the camp realized he is no more with them, the report says, he got missing after failing to qualify to participate in the games.

Sekitoleko is part of the Uganda delegation which included coaches, boxers, and a swimmer who have been preparing in Izumisano, Osaka, since late June according to the BBC.

According to a report from the UOC, Sekitoleko was to return to Uganda on Tuesday, 20 July together with his coach.

He, together with his coach, were due to return to Uganda on 20 July 2021. We, during our regular team briefings both in Uganda and in Japan, emphasised inter alia the need to respect the immigration regulations of Japan and not opt to leave the camp without authorisation

In the report, the UOC said that the rest of the members of the Olympic team were cooperating with authorities.

Our team in Izumisano is cooperating with the Osaka authorities to try and locate Mr Sekitoleko. We shall keep you posted on any further developments in this regard.

According to the CNN, Sekitoleko left a note saying his life in the African country was too difficult and he wanted to work in Japan, officials have said.

An official from Izumisano is said to have reported that, Ssekitoleko said he did not want to return to Uganda and asked the members of his delegation to send his belongings back to his wife, in the note.

It is understood that the Ugandan delegation was among the first teams to arrive in Japan for the Tokyo Olympics.