Three members of the Sri Lankan Commonwealth delegation are missing ©Getty Images

Two Sri Lankan athletes and a coach have gone missing at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and have reportedly surrendered their passports to avoid going back to their home country, which is facing an economic and governmental crisis.

One was reported to be a female judoka who lost her first-round match earlier at the Games at the Coventry Stadium along with the manager of the judo team, while a wrestler was reported missing today.

The athlete and coach seem to have been identified, with Chamila Dilani Marappulige believed to be the missing judoka.

They were reported missing on Monday (August 1) and in reaction to the disappearance, the Chef de Mission of Sri Lanka Dampath Fernando decided to acquire all passports of the team to avoid others fleeing.

"We have asked all athletes and officials to submit their passports to our respective venue officials in all the villages after the incident," said Sri Lankan team spokesperson Gobinath Sivarajah, according to the Daily Mirror.

"The police are investigating and the three cannot cross the UK borders. What has happened is really unfortunate."

The Sri Lankan team management have informed authorities of their disappearance and the Birmingham Metropolitan Police have started a special inquiry as a result.

Chamila Dilani Marappulige of Sri Lanka, left, is believed to be the judoka who fled ©Getty Images
Chamila Dilani Marappulige of Sri Lanka, left, is believed to be the judoka who fled ©Getty Images

Since then, West Midlands Police have confirmed two individuals have been located.

"Two people - a woman in her 30s and a man in his 40s, were reported missing on August 1," said the West Midlands statement.

"Both have now been located and are no longer missing.

"Today, we've received a report of a third man in his 20s as missing. 

"Enquiries are ongoing to locate him."

In total, there are a team of 110 athletes and 51 officials making the journey to Birmingham to represent Sri Lanka at the Games.

All of their athletes and officials have received a 180-day visa to compete at the Games.

Sri Lanka made headlines yesterday when sprinter Yupun Abeykoon became the first from his country to win a medal in the 100 metres at the Games.

It was also the first track podium for Sri Lanka since Kuala Lumpur 1998.

Civil unrest continues in Sri Lanka with protests over failures in the economy, which then led to an authoritarian response from the Government to counter those protests.