No ban for 'missing athletes'

Visiting athletes are issued sporting visas for the Games

Commonwealth Games officials have ruled out banning any athletes that have absconded from the event in Melbourne.

Half of Sierra Leone's squad of 22 have disappeared, following the 21 who went missing in Manchester four years ago.

Commonwealth Games Federation president Mike Fennell said banning Sierra Leone would serve no purpose. "It is not on our agenda at all," he confirmed.

Fennell added there were no plans to stop Sierra Leone from competing at the 2010 Games in New Delhi.

He added: ""We recognise that in a number of countries there are considerable hardships and therefore, whether athletes or other citizens, they will go to other countries where they think they will be better off."

It is not the nicest thing to do to the host country and your team mates to walk out Sierra Leone team spokesman Robert Green

Fennell said all his federation could do was warn athletes that if they tried to stay in a country illegally they would feel the full weight of that nation's laws.

Officially, they have not breached any immigration rules because they have been issued with special visas for the Games, valid for another month.

Most of the missing Sierra Leoneans are members of the athletics team, while another is a weightlifter.

DISAPPEARING ATHLETES 2002 Commonwealth Games: 21 Sierra Leoneans, 5 Bangladeshis, 1 Pakistani missing in Manchester 2002 Asian Games: 12 Nepalese, 3 Sri Lankans and 1 Mongolian missing in S Korea 2000 Sydney Olympics: 80 officials and athletes overstay visas, 11 cases unresolved

Sierra Leone team officials would not identify the missing athletes but said their disappearance had "dampened the team spirit".

"Obviously there is a feeling that it is not the nicest thing to do to the host country and your team-mates to walk out," said Sierra Leone team spokesman Robert Green.

They have joined what has become a growing list of unaccounted-for athletes.

Earlier this week a boxer from Tanzania and a 400m runner from Bangladesh went missing, sparking fears they would try to remain in Australia illegally.

In the meantime, the police are treating the case as a missing persons investigation and have urged anyone with information about the missing athletes to contact them.