Sierra Leone’s mountain biking champion has disappeared from the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, possibly for fear of returning home to a country facing a major Ebola outbreak.
Mohamed Tholley was due to compete in the time trial event in Glasgow on Thursday for the finals on Saturday, but failed to turn up at the starting line.
Unisa Deen Kargbo, chef de mission of the Sierra Leone team, said that Tholley may fear returning to Sierra Leone after the games. He told the Telegraph:
“The situation is very serious at home, and it is possible this is why he does not want to return. It is very bad there.
“We are all very concerned about what is going on, but the rest of us are determined to go home. The only problem is that is becoming difficult to find flights.”
His absconsion from the Games comes days after his team-mate and room-mate Moses Sesay was kept in quarantine at a Scottish hospital for four days before being cleared as healthy after doctors feared he may have been infected by the deadly virus.
Sesay described his ordeal to the the Mirror, saying:
“I was admitted for four days and they tested me for Ebola. It came back negative but they did it again and this time sent it to London, where it was also negative.”
