The team manager has no idea why they disappeared. One of the Commonwealth Games athletes had said that they intended to claim asylum.
Years of arduous preparation & training had come to fruition. This moment signifies the lifting of pressure. After competing for their country in the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, athletes from Uganda were afforded a couple of days’ sightseeing time before catching their plane for their return to Uganda on Tuesday, 11 August ’26.
However, when the flight took wings, there were 4 empty seats.
Only 2 of the total 6 boxers returned to Uganda. The missing athletes were Ibrahim Kemis, Emily Nakalema, Angel Katushabe, and the captain, Nuhu Batte.
One of the athletes reportedly told the Ugandan news website NBS Sport that they were intending to claim asylum in the UK, where there are better training facilities. The team manager for the Ugandan Commonwealth Games team told the BBC that he had absolutely no idea what basis those missing boxers may have for an asylum claim in the UK.
The Ugandan team’s chef de mission, Godwin Kayangwe, said that it’s nothing political. Neither is it anything to do with gender or something like that.
The first indication that something was amiss was that their phones were turned off. This was against the rules of the Ugandan team camp, as athletes require permission to visit. Thereafter, they vanished.
The Guardian reports that a boxing gym in Glasgow initially took in the foursome, but they are no longer in Scotland. The owner of the gym didn’t respond to queries about the missing Ugandan boxers.
Kayangwe was hopeful that those missing boxers may make the right decision in returning to Uganda.
The Pakistani boxer, Qudratullah, was also missing. He had not joined his teammates on the return flight home. Neither was he in his room when officials went to search for him.
