LAHORE: The Pakistan Olympic Association has formed a four-member committee to probe the disappearance of two boxers from the athletes’ village at the end of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, Pakistan Boxing Federation secretary Nasir Ijaz Tung said on Wednesday.

Suleman Baloch and Nazeerullah Khan were nowhere to be found as the Pakistan contingent prepared to leave for home on Tuesday with the duo classified as missing and their information passed on to the concerned authorities including the Pakistan consulate in the United Kingdom.

Nasir told Dawn that the travel documents of the boxers were in possession of the team management.

The probe committee, which includes Nasir, is headed by Pakistan Handball Federation president Mohammad Shafique while the other members are Army Sports Directorate secretary Col Sadaf Akram and a representative of the Pakistan Sports Board.

“The boxers’ parent department [Pakistan Army] has taken strict notice and is in contact with their families, which have been told to ask them to turn up or face serious consequences,” Nasir informed.

“The boxers had submitted a surety bond of Rs3million and it won’t be easy for them to remain in hiding in the UK.”

Suleman, who took part in the welterweight competition, and Nazeerullah, who fought in the heavyweight class, were only included in Pakistan’s boxing squad for the Commonwealth Games after they won in their respective categories at the National Championships this year.

A special request was made to the Games’ organising committee for their accreditation with the PSB bearing the expenditure for their participation in Birmingham.

Pakistan weren’t the only nation to see their athletes go missing at the Games. As many as nine athletes and one official from Sri Lanka disappeared after their events in Birmingham.

Initially, two members of Sri Lanka’s judo team and a wrestler disappeared from the Games village without warning, prompting other seven athletes to follow suit.

All the Sri Lankans, however, had their travel documents with them. British police had located the first three people who went missing but no action was taken against them as they had not violated any laws and had visas valid for six months.

Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2022