KAMPALA, Uganda — The whereabouts of four Ugandan boxers remain unclear more than a week after they failed to return home with the national delegation following the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
The athletes have been identified as Uganda boxing team captain Nuhu Batte, Emily Nakalema, Angel Katushabe and Ibrahim Khemis.
Uganda entered six boxers at the Games, but only two members of the boxing contingent returned with the delegation after the competition.
Police Scotland has confirmed receiving reports of several athletes who remained unaccounted for after the Games and said inquiries were continuing in consultation with the UK Home Office.
There is, however, no authoritative public confirmation that the four Ugandans have committed an offence, overstayed their immigration permission or formally applied for asylum.
Four fail to return with team
The boxers failed to join their teammates for the scheduled journey back to Uganda after the Glasgow Games concluded.
Batte, who captained Uganda's boxing team, was among the country's prominent competitors at the Games and reached the quarter-finals of the men's 65kg competition.
Nakalema and Katushabe also reached the quarter-final stage in their respective competitions, while Khemis was eliminated earlier in the tournament.
The other two members of Uganda's six-person boxing team returned home.
The first public reports concerning the four emerged after they failed to assemble with the rest of the delegation and communication with them became difficult.
Police Scotland makes inquiries
Police Scotland subsequently confirmed that it had received reports concerning athletes who had not returned home following the Games.
The force said inquiries were underway to establish the circumstances and that it had begun engaging with the UK Home Office.
Glasgow 2026 organisers have also said they were working with Police Scotland, Border Force and UK Visas and Immigration as authorities dealt with athletes who had not departed as expected.
The Games brought together approximately 3,000 athletes from 74 nations and territories.
Exact whereabouts remain unclear
Initial reports described the Ugandan boxers as missing in Scotland, but their current location has not been officially established.
The Guardian reported on 9 August that the four had initially been accommodated by a boxing gym in Glasgow but were subsequently believed to have left Scotland. That account has not been publicly confirmed by Police Scotland or UK immigration authorities.
For that reason, it would be premature to state as fact that the athletes are currently in Scotland or elsewhere in the United Kingdom.
Reports of possible asylum plans
A Ugandan sports publication previously reported that one of the four athletes, speaking anonymously, said the group intended to seek asylum and continue their boxing careers in a country offering better training facilities and professional opportunities.
No UK authority has publicly confirmed that any of the four has submitted an asylum application.
Uganda's Chef de Mission at the Games, Godwin Kayangwe, has said he does not know the basis on which the athletes would seek asylum and expressed hope that they would return home.
Uganda Boxing Federation President Moses Muhangi has also urged caution in describing the four as having disappeared, pointing out that their UK visas remain valid.
The distinction is significant because failing to return on the same flight as a national delegation does not by itself establish that an athlete is unlawfully present in another country.
Visas remain an important factor
Team officials have indicated that the athletes' visas remain valid until October.
Until their immigration status changes, they are not automatically in breach of UK immigration law simply because they did not travel back to Uganda with their teammates.
Any asylum application, if one is eventually lodged, would be considered by UK authorities under British immigration and refugee law and assessed on its individual circumstances.
Uganda has seen similar cases before
The development has renewed discussion about athletes who remain abroad following major international sporting competitions.
Uganda has experienced similar cases at previous Commonwealth Games, including athletes who did not return following the 2014 Games in Glasgow and the 2018 Games on Australia's Gold Coast.
Athletes from several other countries have also remained in host nations after previous Commonwealth Games and Olympic competitions, with some later applying for asylum and others pursuing different immigration routes.
Questions for Ugandan sport
The case also raises broader questions about athlete welfare, career opportunities and the management of national teams travelling for international competition.
Uganda's boxing programme has produced internationally competitive athletes, but local competitors have repeatedly raised concerns over funding, training conditions, remuneration and opportunities to develop professional careers.
Those wider issues do not establish why the four boxers chose not to return with Team Uganda, and their individual motivations should not be assumed without direct confirmation.
For now, the confirmed position is that Batte, Nakalema, Katushabe and Khemis did not return to Uganda with the rest of the boxing contingent, Police Scotland has received reports concerning unaccounted-for athletes, and their precise whereabouts and future intentions have not been officially established.