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| August 2, 2002 | Friday | Jamadi-ul-Awwal 22,1423 |
Bangladesh athletes disappear
MANCHESTER, Aug 1: Manchester police were Thursday looking for four Bangladesh athletes who vanished from the Commonwealth Games village earlier in the week, officials said.
Sprinters Maroof Raza, Humayun Kabir and Shafiqul Islam, and hurdler Dilawar Hussain, have not been seen at the Games village since Monday night, Bangladesh’s chef de mission Abdus Salam said.
“We have no idea where they are. We have reported the matter to the Games officials and the police, and a search is on,” Salam told AFP on Thursday.
A fifth Bangladeshi sportsman, swimmer Karar Samid-ul Islam, who disappeared with the four athletes, returned to the village on Wednesday, but he had no idea where the others were, Salam added.
That, however, did not prevent swimmer Abid Ali from deserting the contingent as soon as it got off the plane at Manchester airport last week.
The news of the disappearance came a day after Bangladesh celebrated its first ever gold medal of these Games through shooter Asif Hussain.
“It is very embarrassing for the country. One guy wins a gold medal and a few others just vanish.”—AFP
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