Mr Molombe said all the athletes had competed except for Tsoye, who had been due to fight in the boxing men's 91kg quarter-final on Tuesday. New Zealand's David Nyika won the bout via a walkover, after Tsoye did not show up for the weigh-in. "He [Tsoye] has to compete but he left before," Mr Molombe said. "[We have] no other information, nobody knows where they went.

Petit Minkoumba somersaults after a lift during the 94kg weightlifting final at Sunday. Credit:AP Photo "Nobody said anything, they did not give any condition, they just left. "We imagine they went away wilfully." Mr Molombe said the incident was very worrying. "How can you go back without people you came here with?" he asked.

"It's very worrying, it's not good for the image of the country." GOLDOC chair Peter Beattie said athletes absconded at "every Games", and the athletes had not breached their visas. "It's not a surprise," he said. "But it is a matter for their own Commonwealth Games organisation, association to monitor ... If there is a breach then [Home Affairs Minister] Peter Dutton and the department will deal with it," he said. "We would appreciate them sticking within the law, enjoying themselves ... We're encouraging people to stick within the visas that they're issued by the federal government."

Commonwealth Games Federation chief executive David Grevemberg said it was disappointing that some of the athletes did not compete as scheduled. "These athletes are guests here in Australia at this time, they're still within their visas, they have the right to travel freely," he said. "Until it becomes a real issue in terms of visas and so forth, we would obviously need to take that very seriously." Queensland Commonwealth Games Minister Kate Jones said she understood that as of Wednesday morning, there was no "official lodgement of any missing persons" but authorities were monitoring the issue. "When an athlete comes to Australia to compete in a competition we expect them to front up, and front up on the field and compete, so obviously we're disappointed about that," she said.

Team Cameroon manager Victor Agbor Nso also told media three Cameroonian athletes had gone missing, including a weightlifter and two boxers, the Journal du Cameroun reported. "We have officially informed our hierarchy back home - the Ministry of Sports and the president of the National Olympic Committee of Cameroon," Mr Nso told Cameroon state broadcaster CRTV. "We have also laid a formal complaint to the Australian police." It is not the first time Cameroonian athletes have gone missing. In 2012, seven athletes from Cameroon were reported missing from the London Olympic Games.

In 2006, more than 40 athletes and officials who participated in the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne overstayed or sought asylum in Australia, including from the African countries of Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria and Sierra Leone. Cameroon weightlifters Francois Etoundi and Simplice Ribouem both received refugee status, and were in the 2018 Australian team. Before the start of the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton warned athletes would be monitored to ensure they did not go on the run or outstay visas. A spokesman for the Australian Border Force said the federal government was working closely with the Games organising committee and international stakeholders to ensure officials and athletes were aware of their visa responsibilities. "Like other visitors to Australia, Commonwealth Games visitors who hold a valid visa are free to enjoy their stay in Australia," he said.