http://www.runnersworld.com/general-interest/four-ethiopians-missing-after-world-junior-meet?page=single
Four Ethiopians Missing After World Junior Meet
They were last seen in Eugene, Oregon Saturday morning.
By
Scott Douglas
Published
July 28, 2014
Four members of the Ethiopian team at the World Junior Championships in
Eugene, Oregon have been missing since Saturday morning, the Register-Guard
and other local media outlets are reporting.
The four have not been named in media reports, but are said to be three
women and a 17-year-old boy. The World Junior meet, which concluded on
Sunday, is open to athletes who are 19 or younger as of December 31 in the
year the meet is held. Ethiopia had 30 athletes (17 female, 13 male) on its
team.
The University of Oregon Police Department has taken the lead on a missing
persons investigation, and is receiving help from Eugene and Portland
police as well as the FBI, according to the Register-Guard.
University of Oregon spokeswoman Julie Brown told the Register-Guard
authorities have second- or third-hand information that the athletes are in
Oregon and safe.
Brown said it hasn't been confirmed that the four are seeking political
asylum. Global championships are occasionally marked by athletes who leave
the site of competition and seek asylum on political grounds. At least a
dozen athletes from African countries did so at the 2012 Olympics in London.
Received on Mon Jul 28 2014 - 13:48:05 EDT