HAITI – They turned in their room keys and left behind their suitcases and other personal belongings. Why five Haitian soccer players and their coach decided to vanish while participating in the 2022 Special Olympics Games in Orlando remains a puzzling mystery. What happened to them and why did they leave? Police are trying to find out. “The reason for their departure from the Games is currently unknown,” the Special Olympics told the Miami Herald in a statement. “The well-being of these delegates is our foremost concern. Local authorities have indicated they have no reason to believe the health and safety of any of the individuals is at risk.” The athletes’ disappearance was first made public by the Osceola County Sheriff Office, which announced in a bulletin Tuesday that it was investigating a missing persons case. The case involved six adult members of the Haitian delegation, the release said, who arrived in the United States to participate in the games, which started on Sunday and end on July 12. The athletes and their coach are members of the Haiti unified soccer team, which consists of players with intellectual disabilities and those without. They were last seen, deputies said, around 2:30 p.m. Monday at 710 S. Victory Way in Kissimmee, which is near the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
“At this time, we believe this is an isolated event and do not suspect foul play,” the sheriff’s office release said. The missing individuals are Antione Mithon, 32; Nicholson Fontilus, 20; Peter Berlus, 19; Anderson Petit-Frere, 18; Steevenson Jacquet, 24; and Oriol Jean, 18. A source familiar with the incident said that Mithon is the coach, and all of the missing men are from the FC Toro soccer club in Port-au-Prince. One of the club’s athletes remains with the group and competed Wednesday along with other intellectually disabled Haiti soccer players who beat Washington State, 7-0. The group’s disappearance has hit Haiti’s Special Olympics hard, as well as members of the Haitian community. “With these types of events and with the situation that is happening in Haiti, it’s unfortunate that there are people who are going to be selfish and take these opportunities for themselves and not look at the needs of the greater community and the common good for all of us,” Haiti’s Special Olympics Board Chair Rachel Pierre-Champagne told the Miami Herald in an interview, confirming the incident.
Pierre-Champagne said despite “the stain” the incident has put on her athletes’ stellar performance, the other remaining 18 athletes continue to forge on. She noted that the athletes had to overcome incredible challenges just to get to the games; from wading through Haiti’s escalating gang violence and rampant kidnappings to Haitian society attitude about athleticism and disabilities. The first isn’t viewed as an opportunity for advancement, and the latter is often treated with disregard and discrimination. “I’m just proud of the athletes,” she said, listing medals won in track and field and by the six-member equestrian team this week. “A number of them are coming from the most dangerous parts right now of the metropolitan area, just to prepare themselves to be part of that one moment that really allows them to shine.” This is not the first time that athletes have disappeared while attending a match. Last year, Cuba had several baseball players defect including nine during the World Cup in Mexico, and Cesar Prieto vanished after arriving in Florida for an Olympic qualifier. Cuba has a list of top players who defected to the U.S. during international competition.
