Foreign athletes go missing in Scotland after Glasgow Commonwealth Games

GLASGOW — The curtain had barely fallen on the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow when an unexpected problem emerged: several foreign athletes were reported missing as teams prepared to leave Scotland.

Police Scotland said it was investigating reports involving athletes believed to be from Uganda and Pakistan, with authorities liaising with the UK Home Office over their whereabouts.

“Police Scotland has received reports of several athletes who are unaccounted for,” a spokesperson said on Tuesday.

“Enquiries are ongoing to assess the circumstances, and early engagement is taking place with the Home Office.”

The reports centred on members of Uganda’s boxing contingent. Ugandan broadcaster NBS Sport reported that four of the country’s six boxers had failed to return with the team ahead of its scheduled flight home on Tuesday.

One of the missing athletes reportedly told the broadcaster that they intended to seek asylum in the United Kingdom, citing the prospect of continuing their careers in an environment offering better opportunities.

Pakistan was also drawn into the unfolding episode, with Pakistan Today reporting that one of its boxers failed to board the flight arranged to take the team home.

Foreign boxers AWOL in Scotland after Commonwealth Games to seek asylum

The cases have revived a familiar post-Games pattern. Major international sporting events can provide athletes from countries with limited opportunities not only a global stage, but also temporary access to countries where they may see better prospects for training, employment or protection.

The phenomenon has surfaced at previous Commonwealth Games hosted in Australia and Britain. The scale became particularly striking after the 2018 Gold Coast Games, when Australian authorities said about 50 athletes and officials remained unaccounted for a month after the competition, while roughly 190 people connected to the Games had applied for protection visas.

The Glasgow Games brought together about 3,000 athletes from 74 nations for 11 days of competition, turning the Scottish city into a temporary meeting point for sporting delegations from across the Commonwealth.

But as the teams began their journeys home, the disappearance reports shifted attention from medals and records to a more complicated question: how many athletes who arrived in Glasgow to compete would ultimately choose not to leave?