A group of African athletes participating in last month’s Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in Australia is seeking legal advice to prolong their stay in the country.

During the closing week of the ceremonial games, a group of 19 athletes and officials from four African nations went missing according to The Daily Telegraph. They have until midnight Tuesday, May 15, when their visas expire to leave the country or face deportation or detention. All 19 must obtain a protective visa to stay in the country legally.  

Eleven of the 19 are believed to be from Cameroon. The others are from Uganda, Ghana, Sierra Leone and Rwanda. Five boxers, three wrestlers and a para-powerlifting coach are among the group.

Around April 10, when the athletes first disappeared, Gold Coast Commonwealth Games officials were unsure of what happened to them. 

"These athletes are guests here in Australia. They are still within their visas, they have the right to travel freely," Federation chief executive David Grevemberg said last month.

"It's obviously disappointing that I think some of the athletes that have come didn't compete as they were scheduled to compete. The safety and welfare of those athletes from the Team Cameroon perspective is being taken very, very seriously, but we are obviously monitoring that situation with Team Cameroon."

The Daily Telegraph reports some of the athletes have reached out to local Sydney law office Randwick’s Refugee Advice and Casework Service (RACS) for help obtaining visas. RACS attorney Ben Lumsdaine told the outlet that it would be nearly impossible for any of the athletes to receive the required protective visas within a month's time. 

“That’s unlikely, it can take quite a long time, it depends how quickly the department responds to each claim,” Lumsdaine said. “The process can take many months, sometimes it takes years. We just hope there’s a fair legal process. We don’t have any vested interest in the outcomes.”

It is possible that the athletes could apply for bridging visas that would prevent detention. Unfortunately, this isn't the first time Cameroon athletes have gone missing from an international sporting event. Seven athletes vanished from the Olympic village during the 2012 London Games. In 2006, athletes and team officials overstayed, and some applied for asylum during the Melbourne Commonwealth Games and in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, 9 News reports.

19 missing African athletesGold Coast Commonwealth Games