'Missing' athletics coach Baptiste serving prison sentence in Morocco
Summary
Leon Baptiste, an English athletics coach and former gold medallist, is serving a prison sentence in Morocco. He disappeared from contact for over three months, leading to confusion among British athletes he coached before it was confirmed he was detained following a conviction.Key Facts
- Leon Baptiste coached top British sprinters ahead of the 2024 Commonwealth Games and European Championships.
- Baptiste stopped communicating in May 2024, saying only he would miss training “for a while.”
- Moroccan authorities confirmed he was arrested in Marrakech in May and is now serving a prison sentence.
- Details about the crime and sentence length were not disclosed due to Moroccan judicial privacy rules.
- UK Foreign Office is supporting Baptiste and maintaining contact with Moroccan authorities.
- Baptiste’s family is aware of his imprisonment.
- His absence disrupted training for athletes like Charlie Dobson, Sophie Hahn, and Zac Shaw before major competitions.
- Other coaches, including Adam Gemili and Martyn Rooney, stepped in to help athletes during Baptiste’s absence.
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