Irish police seek missing Special Olympians

Athletes from 166 countries participated in the games, but not all went home

Irish police have appealed for information about five foreign athletes who went missing after they participated in the Special Olympics in Dublin.

Four of the six-strong Niger delegation disappeared after they went shopping on Sunday, the day the competition finished.

A coach with the Pakistan delegation, Mohammed Idreaf Khan, 24, is also missing, although another missing coach from Sudan has turned up.

About 7,000 athletes from 166 countries took part in the nine-day long Special Olympic Games for athletes with learning difficulties in Dublin

No show

The competitors did not arrive at Dublin Airport for their scheduled return on Monday and their planes left without them.

Police named the missing Niger team members as Sekouba Abdoulaye, 37, a team coach, and athletes Elassane Mamoudou, 28, Boikol Issaballo Ousmane, 25, and Hamagou Yalouba, 21.

Our main concern is to ensure they are safe

Police spokesman

A police spokesman said none of the five had applied for political asylum. He added they would have been allowed to stay in Ireland pending a decision over their refugee status, if they made one.

None of the group spoke much English - their native tongue is French - and concerns for their welfare are a priority as the three athletes involved have special learning needs.

A spokesman for the games organisers said it had been a feature of previous world games that people had been reluctant to return home because they had had such a good time.

"Our main concern is to ensure they are safe," he said.