Birmingham police have opened an investigation into the disappearance of three members of the Sri Lankan Commonwealth Games team, while all remaining athletes and officials from the country have been asked to hand in their passports.
A team spokesperson confirmed that a wrestler, a judoka and a judo coach have vanished from their accommodation at the Commonwealth Games athletes village.
Sri Lanka is experiencing civil unrest amid its worst ever economic crisis, with the country’s parliament declaring a state of emergency last week.
As quoted by the Associated Press, spokesperson Gobinath Sivarajah told The Telegraph in India: "We have asked all athletes and officials to submit their passports to our respective venue officials in all the villages after the incident.
“The police are investigating and the three cannot cross the UK borders. What has happened is really unfortunate."
Sri Lanka sent 161 athletes to the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham - which began last Friday and runs until Monday.
The disappearance of three members of their contingent comes as Sri Lanka celebrated one its best ever results at the Games, as Yupun Abeykoon won the bronze medal in the men’s 100m final on Wednesday night.
At the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia, it was reported that one third of the team from Cameroon went missing from the event on the Gold Coast.
Queensland Police reported that eight members of Cameroon’s 24-strong contingent had vanished from their rooms, amid conflict in their home country.
