Top sprinters do a runner

They have had little success on the track, but the Bangladeshi men's athletics teams has shown Commonwealth Games organisers a clean set of heels - by going missing.

The country's fastest man and his three team-mates have not been seen at the athletes' village since Sunday and have angered their country's team bosses by failing to turn up for any of the events they had entered.

The four left behind their tickets, passports and luggage, including their running spikes, prompting concerns that they were trying to stay illegally in Britain and had used their places in the games as cover.

Maruf Reza, the country's reigning 100 metres sprinter, and team mates Humayun Kabir, Shah Dilwar Hussain and Safiqul Islam missed their last chance to take part in the games last night when they did not turn up for the 4x100 metres men's relay.

But one of the other members of the Bangladeshi team, swimmer Karar Samedul Islam, who had gone missing, returned to camp yesterday and may still compete in the games. He denied having any knowledge of his missing colleagues and said: "I went out on my own. I would rather call it missing than fleeing the camp."

Police have not been called in to search for the four men, as their visas are valid until the end of the games, but immigration officials will become involved if they do not return to camp before the closing ceremony next week.

Their move has left the country's games chiefs angry at losing out on any chance of winning medals on the track.

Jaja Ahmed, of Bangladesh's Olympic Committee, said he was "very sad" and added: "One has come back, we expect the others to come back too."

Team manager Anisur Rahman Dipu said: "We have welcomed Samedul to the camp. We are not going to create any pressure on him.

"Let him do the competition and we will take necessary steps to get information about the others."

Mr Dipu said he did not believe the men had left to try to stay in Britain illegally but may have "lost their way". Commonwealth Games competitors are free to come and go from the athletes' village but are expected to stay in official accommodation.

They are allowed into Britain on special visas which permit them to compete in the games but not to stay afterwards.

The Bangladeshis are not the first sportsmen to go missing from a major event.

Earlier this month, 53 Africans who had been due to compete in the qualifying stages of the Open Golf Championship at Muirfield disappeared without trace.