For nearly a week now Chile has been in the middle of a social crisis, with violent manifestations which have resulted in 18 deaths and numerous injuries.
The organisers of the U21 Karate World Championship assured the Luxembourgish delegation that their safety would be guaranteed. However, tensions kept rising and the situation got out of control in Santiago on Wednesday.
After the attack and looting of their hotel, the Luxembourgish delegation was evacuated and, with the help of the Belgian ambassador, transferred to an other hotel outside the city centre.
After these events, the athletes' safety was deemed to be compromised and the Luxembourgish federation decided to no longer take part in the Karate World Championships in Chile and to repatriate the delegation as soon as possible.
The U21 team and their guardians finally landed at Findel airport on Friday afternoon. They were welcomed by the Minister of Sports, Dan Kersch, the president of the federation for martial arts, Serge Schaul, and the president of the karate section, Tessy Scholtes.
