Two Guinea athletes flee Olympic village, stay in Brazil

CONAKRY (Reuters) – Two members of Guinea’s Olympic team disappeared from the athletes village in Rio and have not been seen since, possibly having become illegal economic migrants, a senior sports official told Reuters on Friday.

“The swimmer Amadou Camara and Mame Adama Bangoura, who does judo, fled the Olympic village and stayed in Brazil. They didn’t come back with us,” said Atef Chaloub, a member of Guinea’s Olympic committee.

African athletes have on numerous occasions gone abroad for competition and stayed because of better economic and sporting opportunities in the host country. Five Guineans and 17 athletes from Cameroon stayed in Britain after the 2012 London Olympics.

(Reporting by Saliou Samb; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg and Alison Williams)