Several athletes who competed at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow have reportedly gone missing after failing to return to their respective countries with the rest of their teams.
BBC reported that police in Scotland confirmed that a number of competitors remain unaccounted for following the conclusion of the Games on Sunday and said investigations are underway to establish the circumstances surrounding their disappearance.
Ugandan sports outlet NBS Sport reported that four members of the country’s boxing team failed to board their return flight.
According to the publication, one of the missing athletes claimed the group planned to seek asylum in Scotland.
Pakistan Today also reported that Pakistani boxer Qudrat Ullah did not travel home with his teammates.
Officials reportedly discovered he was absent after checking his accommodation.
The incident mirrors similar cases from previous editions of the Commonwealth Games, including Glasgow 2014, when several athletes either disappeared or later sought asylum after the event.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Police Scotland has received reports of several athletes who are unaccounted for.
“Inquiries are ongoing to assess the circumstances, and early engagement is taking place with the Home Office.”
Ugandan media identified the missing boxers as Nuhu Batte, Angel Katushabe, Ibrahim Kemis and Emily Nakalema.
According to NBS Sport, one of the missing athletes said the group hoped to remain in Scotland and pursue their boxing careers in a country they believed offered better training facilities and greater opportunities than Uganda.
The athlete reportedly appealed to fellow Ugandans for understanding and urged them not to condemn the decision.
A spokesperson for Team Uganda at the Games declined to comment when contacted by BBC Scotland News.
The rest of Uganda’s contingent has since returned home.
Under Glasgow 2026 regulations, athletes were required to leave the Games according to the event’s length-of-stay policy, with accommodation ending two nights after the completion of their respective competitions.
Glasgow 2026 spokeswoman Sophie Ashcroft said: “Over the last two weeks, we have welcomed 3,000 athletes from 74 nations and territories of the Commonwealth to Glasgow.
“As athletes and support staff leave the city, we continue to work closely with wider partners – including Police Scotland, Border Force and UK Visas & Immigration – to ensure a safe and secure conclusion to the Games.”
The latest disappearances recall similar incidents during the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, when two Ugandan rugby players went missing before later being found playing for a local rugby club in Cardiff.
One of those players, Philip Pariyo, was subsequently sentenced to four and a half years in prison after being convicted of raping a woman in Cardiff.
Another athlete, Cameroonian weightlifter Cyrille Tchatchet II, also disappeared after the 2014 Games to escape his home country.
Having finished fifth in Glasgow in 2014, he returned in 2026 and claimed a silver medal.
The UK Home Office is understood to conduct enhanced screening of visitors attending major sporting events, while working with organisers to tighten entry procedures.
Officials said any asylum applications submitted by athletes would be assessed individually based on the specific facts and supporting evidence in each case.
The 2026 Commonwealth Games concluded on Sunday after 11 days of competition.
Organisers said the revamped event, featuring 10 sports across four venues in Glasgow, had “saved and reinvented” the Games after the original hosts, Victoria, withdrew from staging the tournament.
