The Department of Home Affairs revealed on Monday that over 200 athletes have applied for visas to stay in Australia, of them 190 reportedly, including Indians, are seeking asylum.
The Department told a Senate Estimates Committee that a total of 205 athletes and officials who came to Australia for the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games have so far applied for different visas and have been granted bridging visas to enable them to lawfully stay in the country until their applications are decided.
Department Deputy Secretary Malisa Golightly said 190 of the 205 applicants have applied for protection visas but she said that 50 athletes are still in the community without valid visas.
“We know who they are but we haven’t heard from them,” said Ms Golightly.
Though in the statement made to the Senate Committee, the Department did not reveal their identities, The Australian newspaper reported that athletes and officials from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh are also among those seeking protection visas.
A group of men posing a journalist from India was detained before the CWG. Source: Supplied
SBS Punjabi contacted the Department of Home Affairs but it declined to comment on the question of nationalities of those seeking asylum.
However, the Indian Olympic Association insists that none of the Indian athletes and officials is seeking asylum in Australia.
“All the athletes and officials who went for the Commonwealth Games came back within the duration of their visas,” Karan Chautala, Vice President of the Indian Olympic Association told SBS Punjabi.
Mr Chautala said he could not comment on the possibility of any Indian media persons deciding to stay back in Australia.
Missing athletes from Cameroon. Source: AAP
“The IOA doesn’t have any role in media accreditation for the CWG. So, we have no way of knowing that [media persons covering the games].”
An Indian journalist was arrested at Brisbane airport before the Commonwealth Games started, allegedly trying to smuggle in eight Indian men posing as a journalist. The Australian Border Force said their foreign media credentials for the Commonwealth Games were found to be fake.
46-year-old Rakesh Sharma has been charged with an aggravated offence of people smuggling and faces 20 years in jail if found guilty.
Rakesh Kumar Sharma has been charged with an aggravated people smuggling offence. Source: Facebook
The Department of Home Affairs revealed that a total of 13,600 visas were issued for the CWG and 8,103 athletes and officials arrived for the games and 7,848 returned after the games got over.
Minister for Home Affairs Minister, Peter Dutton said he was disappointed with the people who have stayed illegally as they had been welcomed to Australia "in good faith".
He said ABF officers had launched an operation to find the missing athletes.
