CANBERRA – Five more African athletes may have vanished fromthe Commonwealth Games , organisers said Thursday, after eight competitorsfrom Cameroon were suspected of fleeing a day earlier.

Gold Coast organisers confirmed reports that athletes from Rwanda andUganda were thought to have gone missing, while they were also looking toverify the whereabouts of two squash players from Sierra Leone.”We’reobviously looking at it very carefully,” Commonwealth Gameslink> Federation chief executiveDavid Grevemberg told reporters.

“We have a service to people who have legitimate visas to be in thiscountry,” he added.

“Until it becomes a true issue and somebody has outstayed their visa, orhave formally applied for asylum, we just need to continue to monitor thesituations.

“The focus now is to support teams in trying to track down the athletes whoare missing.”

More than 100 athletes overstayed their visas at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.Athlete visas for theCommonwealth Gameslink> expire on May 15,Grevemberg said.

Eight athletes from conflict-hit Cameroon — one third of the centralAfrican country’s 24-strong team — were said to be missing fromtheCommonwealthGames link> on Wednesday,sparking an Australian Border Force manhunt.

As the search continues for Cameroon’s five boxers and three weightlifters,Grevemberg insisted the welfare of the athletes came first.

“We obviously have been in close contact with Cameroon officials,” he said.

“We share their concern regarding obviously the safety, welfare,whereabouts of these athletes.”

Cameroon team manager Victor Agbor Nso told local media he had reported thematter to police on Wednesday.

Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton warned that athletes wouldbe forcibly removed from the country if they attempted to overstay theirvisas.

“They aren’t going to game the system,” he told local radio. “AustralianBorder Force officers will find these people (and) they’ll be held inimmigration detention until they can be deported.”