Ugandan Weightlifter Deported from Japan after going missing

• Ugandan weightlifter who went missing from the pre-Olympics camp deported.
• Ssekitoleko, a weightlifter, left a note at the camp indicating his intention to stay in Japan to work
• He is in a rehabilitation centre in Uganda after being deported.

Ugandan Weightlifter Deported from Japan

The quest to leave Africa and never return is a quest nearly every African youth would relish. This seemed to be the case of a Ugandan weightlifter who went missing from the pre-Olympics camp in western Japan.

Officials managed to pick at a location after a week.  He was later found by the authorities buying a railway ticket. He was flown home a few hours ahead of the official start of the Games.

Julius Ssekitoleko is in the custody of Uganda to determine if his act amounts to any whether crime, CID Spokesperson Charles Twino said.

His family (mother and pregnant wife) who had traveled to Uganda’s Entebbe airport to meet him on Friday morning did not get an opportunity to greet him on arrival.

Ugandan Weightlifter Deported from Japan is in the custody of the police and the country’s foreign affairs has indicated in a statement that the athlete was being “rehabilitated”.

The government is expected to counsel him on the dangers of his actions on himself, his profession, and the country.

The Ugandan government will “help him understand how such acts of misconduct cannot only affect him as an athlete but also other athletes in the sports sector and the nation at large”. The statement said.

When he disappeared from the pre-Olympics camp in western Japan, he left behind a note indicating his intention to stay in Japan and work.

“The member is Julius Ssekitoleko, a weightlifter,” a UOC statement explained. “It was anticipated that he would qualify for the games. However, he did not make the quota as informed by the International Weightlifting Federation on 5 July 2021.

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“He, together with his coach, was due to return to Uganda on 20 July 2021.

“We, during our regular team briefings both in Uganda and in Japan, emphasized inter alia the need to respect the immigration regulations of Japan and not opt to leave the camp without authorization.

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“Our team in Izumisano is cooperating with the Osaka authorities to try and locate Mr. Ssekitoleko. We shall keep you posted on any further developments in this regard.”

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