Ugandan boxer disappears after AIBA World Youth Championship

11:24 AM

Andrew OryadaSpecial to KweséESPN

The Uganda Boxing Federation (UBF) has confirmed that junior boxer John Fisher Odoch "vanished" after the 2018 AIBA Youth World boxing championship in Hungary last week.

Three Ugandan boxers qualified to take part in the tournament that took place from 21 August to 1 September in Budapest. Odoch, together with Reagan Musoke and Muhammed Mazida, lost in the first round.

"Odoch vanished while we were at the airport when we were returning to Uganda. He requested to go to the toilet and never returned," Moses Muhangi, president of UBF told KweséESPN.

"These disappearances are affecting the sport negatively because we continue to find it hard to secure financial assistance and visas for teams traveling for competitions," added Muhangi.

"We shall not tolerate this kind of indiscipline. We have reported the matter to Interpol and the Criminal Investigations department in Uganda."

State Minister for Sports Charles Bakkabulindi said he will need a report by the UBF explaining this disappearance, given it's not the first such instance.

Last year the government of Uganda, through the National Council of Sports,suspended the UBF after three boxers [David Ayiti, Geoffrey Kakeeto and Muzamiru Kakande] disappeared in Hamburg, Germany after taking part in the AIBA World Championships.

"They must write through the National Council of Sports giving details about how the boxer disappeared. Boxing has had many of these disappearances and we wonder why," said Bakkabulindi of the latest incident.

Two other Ugandan boxers, two weightlifters, and a table tennis player also vanished earlier this year during the Commonwealth Games on Australia's Gold Coast.

Those athletes, as part of a wider African group, were later given asylum in Australia via bridging visas, after their original paperwork expired.

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