Tokyo Olympics: athletes arrive in Japan as final countdown begins for pandemic Games

Some 11,090 athletes from more than 200 countries and regions are set to take part in the Games. More than 2,600 have already arrived

A Ugandan athlete was reported missing to police after disappearing from his hotel at a training camp, the Japanese town hosting the delegation said

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Simone Biles, centre, and the US Women‘s Gymnastics team arrive at Narita International Airport in Tokyo for the Olympic Games. Photo: AP

Published: 3:55pm, 16 Jul 2021Updated: 10:16pm, 16 Jul 2021

Tokyo entered the final Olympic countdown on Friday, but there was little fanfare with just one week until the opening ceremony, as virus infections surge in the Japanese capital.

Dozens of teams are already in Japan – some at training camps dotted around the country, and others in the Olympic Village, where national flags have been hung on the buildings housing delegations.

Some 11,090 athletes from more than 200 countries and regions are set to take part in the Games. More than 2,600 have arrived in the country, according to the Nikkei newspaper, with the rest largely expected to arrive between Saturday and Monday.

But the Japanese town hosting the Ugandan delegation on Friday said an athlete had been reported missing to police. In a statement, Izumisano city said 20-year-old weightlifter Julius Ssekitoleko failed to appear by noon for his daily virus test and was not in his hotel room.

Beatrice Ayikoru, the head of the Ugandan delegation, said it was anticipated that Ssekitoleko would qualify for the Olympics, but he did not and was due to return to Kampala with his coach next Tuesday.

A note saying “I want to work in Japan” was found at his accommodation in Izumisano, a local official said.

At the Olympic Village in Tokyo, British weightlifter Sarah Davies was among the athletes posting on social media about life at the pandemic Games.