Tokyo Olympics: Ugandan athlete 'missing' from hotel in Japan after skipping COVID-19 test

Ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, a Ugandan athlete has been reported missing from his hotel. According to reports, 20-year-old Julius Ssekitoleko was training in Western Japan and was staying in Izumisano, Osaka Prefecture. The officials and police are trying to locate Ssekitoleko who was not found when a city official tried to locate him to receive his sample for coronavirus testing.

Ugandan athlete goes missing ahead of Tokyo Olympics 

As per reports, the athlete was last seen in his hotel at around 12:30 a.m. by a teammate. The disappearance is expected to raise concern as Japanese officials and Olympic organisers step up anti-COVID-19 measures. The officials have already informed that athletes will only be allowed to go to limited locations and will not come into contact with locals. 

In addition, it is also being reported that the Ugandan delegation arrived at Narita airport near Tokyo on June 19, making them one of the first teams to reach the host nation ahead of the Olympic games. With two members already testing positive for COVID-19, everyone had already been asked to submit their samples for testing. However, the missing athlete's samples were not received by the authorities. 

COVID cluster discovered at hotel housing Brazil's Olympic team members

Earlier, a COVID-19 cluster was discovered at the Japanese hotel housing dozens of Brazilian Olympians. As per reports, at least eight staff members at Hamamatsu city, southwest of Tokyo, have tested positive for COVID-19. However, the Brazilian delegation staying in the same hotel, are reportedly in a “bubble” and are separated from other guests. Hence, the Olympians have not been infected with the coronavirus.