Julius, the Ugandan athlete who escaped in Tokyo 2020 in search of a better life

A few days ago, the case of Julius Siketoliko, a 20-year-old weightlifter, who traveled with the Ugandan delegation to Tokyo 2020 and escaped from his hotel, appeared on social networks.

Julius has been in Izumisano since June, setting up the Ugandan team to train in exclusive facilities for the sporting event.

The athlete left the facilities without notifying anyone last Friday and, according to local media, bought a ticket for an express train to Nagoya, a town less than 250 kilometers away.

And the young man left a “farewell note” in his room, in which he confirmed that he wanted to flee his country because of the bad conditions he was living in, in search of a better life in Japan.

“I want to work in Japan,” he wrote in his diary.

Julius, along with nine other Ugandan athletes, tested positive for COVID-19 on June 19, so they have been kept in isolation throughout that time.

According to Beatrice Ayekuru, the Ugandan Olympic mission chief, the missing man and his coach will return home next week, but she did not give reasons.