Sports News | Uganda Athlete Who Fled Tokyo Camp Returns Home

Entebbe, Uganda, Jul 23 (AP) The final leg of what started out has an Olympic dream ended on Friday for Ugandan Athlete Julius Ssekitoleko as he returned home.

The 20-year-old weightlifter fled during pre-Olympics training in western Japan last week leaving behind a note saying he didn't want to return to his country.

Ssekitoleko left behind his luggage and a note saying he wanted to stay in Japan and work, officials said.

He did not meet Olympic standards in the latest international rankings released after he arrived Japan.

Speaking to the media while waiting for the return of her husband at Entebbe at airport, a teary, pregnant Desire Nampewo said she had been in touch with her husband.

"Julius has not been well," she said.

"He thought that when he goes that side (to Japan) he was going to make a good life for us as a family and we were expecting a lot from him."

The Ugandan government insists that his action violated the Code of Conduct, which each member of the team pledged to abide by.

Reverend Canon Duncan Mugumya - the commissioner for physical planning and sports, who was at the airport to receive the Athlete from the Japanese official said the ministry will ensure that he is properly rehabilitated. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)