Three athletes from the Tunisian delegation at the World Youth Weightlifting Championships in Spain have reportedly left the team’s quarters, possibly seeking to migrate irregularly to Switzerland.
Ali Zouari, the General Secretary of the Tunisian Weightlifting Federation, noted that the athletes’ disappearance was detected on Thursday.
Social media videos suggest they may have headed towards Switzerland.
Zouari mentioned that the federation has initiated investigations into the incident and expects to release a statement soon.
The Tunisian squad at the championships comprised five athletes, including two females, with the three males having departed.
This incident is not the first of its kind; there have been several instances where Tunisian athletes have used international events as a means to enter the European Union (EU) with the intention of staying beyond their visa limits or seeking asylum.
Tunisian fencer Fares Ferjani clinches the first Arab medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics by securing a silver in the épée event on Saturday, after a defeat to South Korea’s Sanguk Oh with a score of 11-15 in the final match.
This marks the first Olympic medal for 27-year-old Ferjani and the third for Arab fencers, following Egyptian Alaaeldin Abouelkassem’s silver in foil at London 2012 and Tunisian Ines Boubakri’s in foil at Rio 2016.
Hailing from a family deeply rooted in fencing, Ferjani’s brother, Mohamed Ayoub, competed in the foil category at Rio 2016, while another brother, Ahmed, has participated in the épée category at several World Cups.
Their father, Salah, is an international fencing referee, and their mother, uncles, and cousins have also competed in various sports at different levels.
