A Sierra Leone cyclist who 'vanished' from the
Commonwealth Games in an apparent bid to avoid going back to his Ebola-stricken
country has been found - but several of his teammates do not want to return
home. The plea from the athletes was
made as Sierra Leone sportstars failed to turn up for four separate events,
sparking fears that even more of the country's athletes could be going missing.
It comes as the World Health Organisation issued a
warning about the epidemic of Ebola in West Africa - which they now say has
killed more than 700 people in four countries. Unisa Deen Kargbo, chef de
mission of the country's team, says his athletes are scared about returning to
Sierra Leone, amid fears they will be struck down by the killer disease.
Mr Kargbo also said he would be 'investigating' why
the athletes had not turned up at the various events - because he had expected
them to be there. He told the Times:
'Many people are thinking whether or not to go home now. Everybody is worried
and many of them don't want to go home now because of the Ebola. 'We have held
several meetings with them, but they are still worried. This virus is spreading
around our country and everyone is at risk of catching it.'
Yesterday, Mohamed Tholley, the country's mountain
biking champion allegedly failed to turn up to Thursday's time trial. Officials
admitted they were concerned he was trying to abscond, to avoid returning to
Sierra Leone. Today, a spokesman for
Glasgow 2014 said he was 'not missing' and the chef de mission knew his whereabouts.
But yesterday, Sierra Leone’s men’s and women’s
4x400m relay teams also mysteriously withdrew from first round heats at Hampden
Park. The men's 4x100 team also did not run.
source: dailymail
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