File photo: Sri Lankan army athletes
Sri Lankan athletes who are currently competing in the Commonwealth Games in the UK have had been forced to turn in their passports after their team mates absconded from the athletes' village earlier this week.
While two members of the judo team who "went missing" on Monday have reportedly been spoken to by police but Sri Lankan wrestler Yoda Pedige Shanith Chathurangahas not been found.
“We have asked all athletes and officials to submit their passports to our respective venue officials in all the villages after the incident,” a Sri Lankan team spokesman reportedly said.
“The police are investigating and the three cannot cross the UK borders. What has happened is really unfortunate," they added.
According to some reports, the athletes may look to seek asylum in the UK as Sri Lanka faces it's worst economic crisis in decades.
Amongst those competing in the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham are 37 Sri Lanka Army athletes. It has not yet been confirmed if any of the missing athletes are from the military.
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.
