Police investigate after two Pakistani boxers go missing during Commonwealth Games

Two members of the Pakistan’s boxing delegation have gone missing in Birmingham, England, following the conclusion of the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Pakistan Boxing Federation…

By: Karim Zidan | 10 months ago
Police investigate after two Pakistani boxers go missing during Commonwealth Games
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Two members of the Pakistan’s boxing delegation have gone missing in Birmingham, England, following the conclusion of the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Pakistan Boxing Federation secretary Nasir Tang said boxers Suleman Baloch and Nazeer Ullah vanished just hours before the team was due to return to Islamabad.

“The travel documents including their passports are still with federation officials who accompanied the boxing team to the Games,” Tang told The Indian Express.

Local law enforcement launched an investigation shortly after the two boxers went missing. The force told Insidethegames that “…we are making enquiries, including CCTV work, to ensure they are safe and well.”

The disappearance of the boxers came just two months after a national swimmer, Faizan Akbar also disappeared while competing in the FINA World Championships in Hungary. Akbar went missing with his passport and has not been located since June.

Earlier in the games, ten members of the Sri Lankan delegation were reported to have gone missing.

Pakistan won seven medals at the 2020 Commonwealth Games, though none were in boxing. Baloch, a seven-time national champion, was defeated in a round-of-32 fight in the light welterweight category, while Ullah was defeated in a round-of-16 bout in the heavyweight category.

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About the author
Karim Zidan
Karim Zidan

Karim Zidan is a investigative reporter and feature writer focusing on the intersection of sports and politics. He has written for BloodyElbow since 2014 and has served as an associate editor since 2016. He also writes for The New York Times and The Guardian. Karim has been invited to speak about his work at numerous universities, including Princeton, and was a panelist at the South by Southwest (SXSW) film festival and the Oslo Freedom Forum. He also participated in the United Nations counter-terrorism conference in 2021. His reporting on Ramzan Kadyrov’s involvement in MMA, much of which was done for Bloody Elbow, has led to numerous award nominations, and was the basis of an award-winning HBO Real Sports documentary.

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