More Congolese athletes have reportedly gone “missing” in France following the Olympic games, local media is reporting.
Information seen by Le Parisien indicates that a number of athletes from the Republic of Congo taking part in the Paralympic games have now disappeared following the closing ceremony on September 8.
The publication describes prosecutors in Seine-Saint-Denis as having opened an investigation into the disappearance into two of the country’s athletes — wheelchair discus and javelin thrower Mireille Nganga and blind sprinter Grâce Mouambako — as well as the latter’s running guide.
Members from the country’s Olympic delegation have reportedly spoken to authorities regarding the investigation to say that they had not seen them since last week.
The mysterious disappearance is not the first of its kind. Athletes from the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo similarly disappeared following the Olympic Games last month, though some later reappeared.
Other African countries that saw some of their Olympic delegations disappear include Rwanda and Eritrea.
The French judiciary are reportedly operating on the assumption that these disappearances were all voluntary.
Several athletes competing for the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the Paris Olympics have reportedly gone missing, officials in France have said. https://t.co/xhYuzNDR8q
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) August 16, 2024
