Scottish police are investigating reports that several foreign athletes failed to return home after competing in the 2026 Commonwealth Games, which concluded in Glasgow last Sunday.
Police Scotland confirmed on Tuesday that it had received reports of several athletes who remain unaccounted for.
“Enquiries are ongoing to assess the circumstances, and early engagement is taking place with the Home Office,” a police spokesperson said.
According to Ugandan broadcaster NBS Sport, four members of Uganda’s six-person boxing team went missing ahead of the team’s scheduled departure on Tuesday. One of the missing athletes reportedly told the broadcaster that they intended to seek asylum.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Today reported that one of Pakistan’s boxers also failed to board a scheduled flight home on Tuesday.
Athletes going missing after the Commonwealth Games is not a new phenomenon, particularly during editions held in Australia and the United Kingdom since Glasgow hosted the event in 2014.
Following the 2018 Commonwealth Games on Australia’s Gold Coast, authorities were searching for 50 athletes and officials who remained missing a month after the event ended, while another 190 participants had applied for asylum.
More than 3,000 athletes from 74 nations took part in the 11-day Glasgow Commonwealth Games this year.
