Member of Rwanda’s Paralympic women’s sitting volleyball team declared missing in Paris as French police launch investigation into ‘worrying disappearance’

A member of the Rwandan Paralympic women’s sitting volleyball team has gone missing in Paris.

The athlete did not appear at the opening ceremony, despite arriving in the French capital earlier this month.

On August 20, she left her accommodation in Paris to visit a restaurant with a group of people, but she did not return.

A police investigation has now been launched.

This was confirmed in a statement on Wednesday morning, ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games.

The ceremony was attended by many athletes from Rwanda, but a volleyball player was absent

The police statement said the “worrying disappearance” was being investigated and had been passed on to the BRDP [the Brigade for the Suppression of Crimes against Persons].

The Rwandan ambassador has since visited the place where the athlete disappeared.

Despite the absence of one of their squad members, the Rwandan women started their sitting volleyball campaign at the Paris 2024 volleyball tournament on Thursday.

They lost 3-0 (25-13, 25-10, 25-7) to Brazil.

Rwanda’s next match is against Slovenia on Saturday.

Without their missing teammate, the Rwandan women’s sitting volleyball team lost 3-0 to Brazil

While it is deeply concerning and there are genuine concerns for the safety of the missing volleyball player, this is not the first time an athlete has gone missing during the Olympics or Commonwealth Games.

More than a dozen athletes, including two from Rwanda, were reported missing during or shortly after the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia.

It is known that many of them have fled to seek asylum.

However, it is not known whether the volleyball player currently missing in Paris fled deliberately.