Phillips Idowu 'Missing,' Says UK Athletics Head Coach

Phillips Idowu Missing (Photo: Wikipedia)

Britain's Phillips Idowu has gone missing just days before his event at the 2012 London Olympics, according to UK Athletics head coach Charles van Commenee.

Van Commenee revealed that he and other officials have no idea where Idowu is as they lost contact with the athlete since last week.

"Up until about two weeks ago Aston Moore, his coach and the person I work with very closely, was in regular contact and had seen him in training a number of times," said van Commene. "But that contact died. A brief text message about a week ago and that was it. All information we have about Phillips is now coming from the BOA [British Olympic Association]. That information is that he's fit and ready to go."

Idowu, the 2009 World Champion, the 2008 World Indoor champion and reigning 2010 EAA European Champion, is one of the host nation's biggest hopes for a gold medal in the Olympic Stadium.

"I find it bizarre... We have to deal the situation as it is presented to us. He's under the wing of the BOA at the moment and we'll support when that's needed, like we always have," van Commene said. "First he has to show up and we don’t know when he is going to show up. When he shows up, where he sleeps, we have no idea."

Idowu’s triple jump campaign gets under way with the qualifying rounds on Tuesday and the final next Thursday.