Leon Baptiste Serving Prison Sentence in Morocco, BBC Reports

British athletics coach and former Commonwealth Games champion Leon Baptiste is serving a prison sentence in Morocco after being convicted in an unspecified case, BBC Sport reported Wednesday. A source at Morocco's Ministry of Justice told the broadcaster that Baptiste was arrested in Marrakech in May and is being held at Al-Oudaya prison.

The ministry source said the 41-year-old was in good health and rejected recent media descriptions of him as missing. Morocco's Public Prosecution Office also confirmed to BBC Sport that a British national was being held at a Marrakech prison following a court judgment in a criminal case. Authorities provided no details about the offense, the circumstances behind the conviction or the length of the sentence.

Baptiste had been working as a consultant sprint coach for UK Athletics and coaching a group of leading British track athletes before he fell out of contact more than three months ago. In May, he sent the athletes a brief message saying he would be away from training for a while, but they received no further explanation, according to the BBC report.

On Tuesday, Baptiste sent an email to the athletes resigning from his coaching position and citing unspecified ill health, BBC Sport said. The UK's Foreign Office told the broadcaster it was supporting a British national detained in Morocco and remained in contact with the authorities. Baptiste's family is understood to know about his imprisonment.

His absence affected preparations for athletes including Olympic bronze medallist Charlie Dobson, Paralympic champion Sophie Hahn and Paralympic silver medallist Zac Shaw ahead of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the European Championships in Birmingham. BBC Sport reported that four-time European champion Adam Gemili and relay coach Martyn Rooney provided additional help after Baptiste's departure.

Baptiste won Commonwealth Games gold medals in the 200 metres and 4x100 metres relay in 2010. He retired from competition at 28 after knee problems and later moved into coaching, receiving England athletics coach of the year recognition at the 2023 Sporting Equals awards. BBC Sport said it approached UK Athletics for comment and attempted to contact three former British athletes who had travelled with Baptiste to Marrakech but received no reply.