Tokyo Olympics: Ugandan athlete reported missing in Osaka after skipping COVID test

An Olympic athlete from Uganda has been reported missing from their hotel in Japan after missing a coronavirus test.

City officials and local police are now trying to locate the unnamed athlete, who disappeared in Izumisano, Osaka.

They were last seen just after midnight on Friday morning local time and hotel staff raised the alarm at lunchtime after the athlete missed a COVID test.

The search comes as Japan tries to implement an ultra-tight infection control plan to ensure the 32nd Olympic Games can take place safely for participants and the Japanese population.

Tokyo is under a COVID-19 state of emergency with over 1,000 new positive being reported every day - the highest numbers in Japan since January.

Protests and petitions have repeatedly called for the Games to be cancelled and new demonstrations are taking place today with just seven days to go until the opening ceremony.

The president of the Uganda Olympic Committee told Sky News they were working to try and understand what had happened to the missing athlete and would release further details in due course.

The Ugandan delegation had earlier been forced to isolate after one of their party tested positive for coronavirus on arrival in Japan last month.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said: "The IOC has been informed about the situation of one Ugandan athlete. We are in touch with the NOC in order to clarify the situation."