An athlete from Sierra Leone’s Commonwealth Games team is reported to have gone missing – just days after his teammate was tested for the Ebola virus.
The team’s mountain biking champion Mohamed Tholley was due to compete in the time trial event in Glasgow yesterday but allegedly failed to turn up.
According to a report in the Telegraph newspaper, Unisa Deen Kargbo, chef de mission of the Sierra Leone team, said Mr Tholley might have gone missing to avoid having to fly home and face the disease.
‘Unfortunately one of our athletes has not turned up for his event and we do not know where he is. It is possible he is not coming back.
“The situation is very serious at home, and it is possible this is why he does not want to return. It is very bad there.” he said.
But Jackie Brock-Doyle, a spokeswoman for Glasgow 2014, denied the claims at a press briefing this morning.
“We have not had a single report of any athlete that has gone missing.
“If someone didn’t turn up and they had gone missing, they would have reported it to us.
“If athletes have gone missing and their chef de missions are concerned they will talk to us and let us know.”she said.
It comes after a fellow Sierra Leone athlete at the Games revealed he was hospitalised and put into isolation for four days while he was tested for the deadly Ebola virus.
Cyclist Moses Sesay, from Sierra Leone where hundreds are reported to have died from the flesh-eating virus, was admitted to hospital in Glasgow after feeling unwell and developing fever-like symptoms.
However, he was later given the all-clear and yesterday competed in the road race time trial.