COLOMBO: (Oct 18) Sri Lanka will seek Interpol red notices for the arrest of national athletes who fled the 2022 Commonwealth Games village in Birmingham and failed to return home, a court in Colombo was informed on Friday.
The Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court also imposed travel bans on ten athletes suspected to be living illegally in the United Kingdom.
According to the Sports Ministry’s Offences Prevention Unit, the absconding athletes caused a financial loss of around 50 million Sri Lankan rupees to the government by not returning after the Games.
Officials said the ministry is coordinating with Interpol and the British authorities to trace the missing athletes and initiate deportation proceedings.
The athletes reportedly disappeared soon after completing their respective events during the Birmingham Games in July 2022. Similar incidents of sports personnel overstaying abroad have previously embarrassed Sri Lanka, prompting tighter oversight for future international delegations.