Tokyo Olympics 2020: Bizzare! Ugandan weightlifter who went missing spotted wearing India jersey at airport

Ugandan weightlifter Julius Ssekitoleko, who went missing just a week ahead of the Tokyo Olympics 2020, was spotted wearing an Indian jersey at the airport.

Bizarre!! Meet the 20-year-old missing Ugandan athlete Julius Ssekitoleko. The Ugandan weight-lifter was deported from Japan on Thursday. But look at the jersey he is wearing !!! ⁦@DiggySinghDeo⁩ ⁦@Vimalsports⁩ ⁦@mihirsv⁩ #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/mj8vFFv2kF

— Raj Mohan (@Non_rights) July 22, 2021

Julius did not qualify for the Tokyo Games and was due to return to Uganda on July 20. That's when the 20-year-old went missing from the Ugandan team's training camp in Izumisano, a city in Osaka, western Japan.

Ssekitoleko, 20, was scheduled to fly home to Uganda last Tuesday, but went missing before a daily COVID test. A few members of the Ugandan Olympic delegation had tested positive for the coronavirus after arriving in Japan.

After which, Ssekitoleko and other camp members were supposed to undergo a nasal swab. Ssekitoleko failed to show up for the test and was not in his hotel room.

Then the police recovered a letter which read that the weightlifter wished to stay in Japan and work.

Ugandan weightlifter Julius Ssekitoleko, 20, has been discovered on Tuesday, 20th July 2021 in Yokkaichi city, Japan after having gone missing four days ago.#KawowoUpdates | @IsabiryeDavid https://t.co/SBfghE6rVz

— Kawowo Sports (@kawowosports) July 20, 2021

The Osaka Prefectural Police Department then tracked down the Ugandan weightlifter, who had gone missing from the pre-game training camp hotel on July 16. He was found in Mie Prefecture.

In a peculiar turn of events, Ssekitoleko was found wearing an Indian jersey at the airport on Thursday, raising several questions.

According to the COVID-19 protocols that have been put in place by the Olympic organizers, athletes are not allowed to break the bio secure bubble and wander around. This is to avoid contact with the public and to ensure smooth conduct of Tokyo Olympics 2020.

The weightlifter’s disappearance from his training camp has raised new questions about the safety of the Olympics amid a spike in the COVID-19 infection rate in Tokyo as well as other parts of the country.

Tokyo had declared a state of emergency earlier this month. Strict rules have been imposed on foreign athletes, whose travel is supposed to be limited to scheduled events, hotels and training venues.

Organizers have announced that no spectators will be allowed entry into the stadiums during the Games. The Tokyo Olympics are scheduled to take place from 23 July.