

The mystery of the Sri Lankan national handball team's disappearance
The Sri Lankan sports governing body is having trouble. Their athletes are always going missing. They travel to other nations to compete in sporting competitions, then they immediately flee. They typically travel to Italy and land jobs spinning pizzazz or working in department stores. Decamping is the phrase used to describe when athletes leave the country while competing in foreign competitions.
Only one of the 11 Sri Lankan players that competed in a sporting event in Canada in 1993 returned home. The remainder, which included a number of wrestlers from the Sri Lankan Wrestling Federation, simply vanished. A triple jump coach who was participating in an IOC-sponsored international training event in 2007 vanished in Italy. Two athletes went missing: a beach volleyball player and a hockey player—during the 2014 Asian Games in South Korea. However, one of the more notorious instances of “decamping” was documented in 2004, when the whole Sri Lankan handball team vanished in Germany.

A director in the Sri Lankan Sports Ministry called the Asian-German Sports Exchange Program (AGSEP), an organization that organizes sporting events and international exchanges between Sri Lankan and European sport teams, in 2003 to inquire about setting up a handball exhibition with the German national team. Since handball is not commonly played in Sri Lanka, the country’s sports ministry recruited Athula Wijenayaka to train the men and assemble a team.
The German handball team initially traveled to Sri Lanka to play a friendly game in Minuwangoda, an area on the western coast of the island. The Sri Lankan team would then take a flight to Germany for a 10-match competition. Only a few weeks were given to Wijenayaka to prepare the Sri Lankan players for their friendly match against Germany. The athletes learnt the fundamentals during practices, which were done a couple times per week. None of them had played handball before, but mastery of the sport was not required. All they have to do is seem to know what they’re doing.
Chandana, then 28 years old, first learned about the scheme through his older brother, who was already a resident of Italy, in 2002. In order to bring Chandana to Italy, his brother offered to cover the costs. Chandana was supposed to repay his brother once he got a job. All he had to do for the time being was master the game of handball. Chandana played volleyball in high school, but he had never played handball. It didn’t take him long to pick up the fundamentals, including the need for two 30-minute halves, the ability to run three steps without dribbling the ball, and scoring goals. Chandana could only recall that.

The German handball team defeated the host team 36–2 in the exhibition game. Dietmar Doering, the creator of the AGSEP, and the German officials invited the Sri Lankan squad to Germany for a handball competition despite the team’s weak performance. A few weeks later, on the afternoon before the competition was to start, the 23-member Sri Lankan squad arrived in the southern German town of Wittislingen. The group took a trip. Following their meeting with the mayor, they had dinner with their German counterparts and took pictures. Rupasinghe, 23, added, “We sang and danced and had a terrific time.
The team lost badly in the opening game. The Sri Lankans failed to score a single point this time.

Once again, they sang together and enjoyed the evening as the Germans welcomed the Sri Lankans for dinner that night. Rupasinghe remarked, “We had a terrific time in this place. “Felt a little guilty because we were all planning on leaving quite early the next morning,”
At 5 a.m. The team sneaked out of their hotel rooms in the early hours of the morning with only a few pieces of clothing and other needs. A note thanking the Germans for their hospitality was left behind. It announced, “We’re going to France.” They were all actually traveling to Italy. “We knew from our family and friends that there was no way of sending us back once we reached Italy,” Chandana added. “Italians are warm and welcoming, and they appreciate us working in their eateries. Italian police treat Sri Lankans with little hostility. We don’t engage in drug use or any other illegal activity.

The media started asking: Is Doering the mastermind behind the disappearance act? right away. Fox News even alleged that the handball squad was made up entirely of Tamil militants who had entered Germany illegally. The Sri Lankan Sports Ministry was contacted by the media, and their response was that handball was hardly ever played in Sri Lanka and the creation of a national team was a mystery. The president of the Sri Lankan Olympic Association, Hemasiri Fernando, stated, “We don’t even have a single club.”
The episode deeply disappointed Doering. I am not going to invite any more teams from Sri Lanka, so this will be the last time we do this, he said. Even though the German embassy blacklisted AGSEP immediately after the incident, he was unable to participate in sporting events there even if he had wanted to. After that, “no teams received visas,” he claimed. That is the tragic aspect of the situation.
More than half of the 23 Sri Lankan handball players had returned home within ten years. After six months, I returned, Chandana claims. “My kid was ill. I missed my home. Despite being promised a job, I was unable to find one. I begged for forgiveness in a letter to Mr. Doering.
Before going back to Sri Lanka, Rupasinghe spent four years working as a pizza baker in a pizzeria. Rupasinghe made a decent living over these four years and frequently sent money to his family in Sri Lanka.
Doering initially felt resentful, but as time went on, he started to understand the players’ motivations. It was driven by need. Five to ten family members lived with each man on the team in Sri Lanka on average. Every month, each of those guys sent money to their family.

How Were the Two Parts of the Al Naslaa Rock Formation Created?
Scientists have been puzzled by the Al Naslaa rock formation in Saudi Arabia for a long time, and there is still no explanation for why this boulder appears to have a precise incision across the middle of it.

[solved] “macaroni mystery”, 500 pounds of pasta dumped in new jersey
In April 2023, Old Bridge, New Jersey, faced a peculiar 'Macaroni Mystery' when 500 pounds of pasta were mysteriously dumped in the woods.

10 Rarest and Albino animals you haven’t seen
For centuries, people have been fascinated and enchanted by the ghostly appearances of abnormally white animals. People have loved albinos and other unusually white animals so much that they may be helping to increase their numbers, despite the difficulties these animals face in the wild. While these unusual animals did not win the genetic lottery, they have persevered in the face of adversity.

Chocolate Rain in Switzerland: How a Factory Malfunction Turned Olten Into a Sweet Spectacle
In 2020, chocolate 'rained' from the sky in a town in Switzerland. This incident was caused by a ventilation system malfunction at a chocolate factory in Olten. Strong winds then carried the snow-like cocoa powder and spread it around in the immediate vicinity of the factory, covering cars and other things in chocolate.

Jim Sullivan's Mysterious Masterpiece: 'U.F.O.'
In 1969, a musician named Jim Sullivan recorded an album titled "UFO" which featured a song about him being abducted by aliens in the desert. Years later, Jim disappeared and his car was found abandoned in middle of New Mexico desert. His body has never been found.

Inside The Mysterious Death Of The Famed Gothic Writer Edgar Allan Poe
Hours before his death Edgar Allen Poe was found on the streets of Baltimore. He was incoherent, wearing another man’s clothes, and unable to explain how he got there. The cause of his death is an unsolved mystery.

Mystery of 300-year-old mummified mermaid is being probed
There is a 300-year-old mummified mermaid with 30 centimetres tall and features a human-like head, two hands with what appear to be fingernails, and its lower body that look like a fish tail. The “mermaid mummy” is being probed by Japanese scientists in an attempt to unravel the mystery of its existence.

Thousands of Rare "Ice Eggs" Blanket Finnish Beach in Spectacular Natural Phenomenon
Thousands of ice balls recently covered a beach in Finland, a rare phenomenon caused by wind and waves sculpting pieces of ice into smooth spheres. These "ice eggs" can vary in size from chicken eggs to soccer balls and have also been spotted in other cold regions globally.

What Caused The Mysterious Patomskiy Crater in Siberia?
Discovered in 1949, the Patomskiy Crater resembles a huge convex cone with a funnel-shaped recess and a rounded hill in the middle, which looks like an eagle’s nest with an egg nestled inside it. The crater’s origin is a mystery that has baffled scientists for decades.

Qasr al-Farid, the Lonely Castle of the Nabataeans
The remote tomb of Qasr al-Farid, situated in the Saudi Arabian desert, dates back to the 1st Century CE. It was built by the Nabataean people, who also built Petra in Jordan. This site has remained largely undisturbed.

Recipient of suicide victim's heart kills himself 12 years later
In 1995, Sonny Graham received a transplanted heart from a suicide victim. He then committed suicide in the very same manner as the donor.

Top 10 Mysterious And Least Explored Places On Earth
Some people believe that there is nothing unexplored remaining on earth but the world doesn't cease to surprise us with its mysteries. Today I'll tell you about the lost places of the planet and animals that live only there.

Jimmy Carter Once Promised to Release UFO Files—Here’s Why He Didn’t
During his 1976 presidential campaign, Jimmy Carter declared a bold intention: if elected, he would make all government UFO information available to the public. A man who openly admitted to having seen a UFO himself, Carter embodied a promise of transparency on one of the most controversial subjects of the Cold War era. However, once in office, Carter found powerful obstacles and, citing "national security concerns," chose not to release the files. This article unpacks Carter’s famous guarantee, the political realities he faced, and the enduring mystery surrounding government UFO secrecy.

The Mystery of Canada's Magical Spotted Lake
Lake Khiluk, the world's most mineralized lake, and one of the most mysterious places on Earth. Each of these spots has a distinct chemical content and is said to cure various diseases.

What Is the Taos Hum? The Strange Low-Frequency Noise Heard in New Mexico
Since the early 1990s, residents of Taos, New Mexico, have reported hearing a mysterious low-frequency noise called the "Taos Hum." This strange, persistent buzzing or droning sound is only audible to a small fraction of the population and has baffled scientists and locals alike. Despite extensive investigations, the source of the Taos Hum remains unresolved, making it one of the most intriguing acoustic mysteries in the modern world.

Sandy Island: The Phantom Island That Fooled Maps and Google Earth for Centuries
Sandy Island, charted since 1774, was long considered a phantom island in the Coral Sea. Despite appearing on maps and Google Earth, it was "undiscovered" by scientists in 2012, revealing only deep ocean instead of land. The island's existence was likely a cartographic error or a misidentified pumice raft.

Poland's Krzywy: The Mysteries of the Crooked trees
In Poland, there is a forest with 400 crooked trees that have a 90-degree bend at the base of their trunks. Despite of numerous possibilities, the real reason and how it evolved remain a mystery.

Famous abandoned cities and ghost towns in the world
Learn the stories behind seven of the world's most renowned abandoned cities and villages, from the infamous Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe zone to Hashima Island.

The Forgotten Story of Marilyn Monroe’s Stolen Dress That Returned Years Later
One of Marilyn Monroe’s most iconic gowns vanished mysteriously, disappearing into the shadows of Hollywood history. This garment, often regarded as a symbol of glamour and tragedy, slipped away for decades before resurfacing under enigmatic circumstances. Whispers of underground auctions, secret collections, and ghostly legends hint at a fascinating and almost cinematic journey for a dress that once captivated a nation. This article uncovers the intriguing saga of Marilyn Monroe’s stolen dress, tracing its path back into the public eye and exploring its lasting cultural significance.

The Remarkable story of jazz bassists Henry Grimes, lost but found as janitor and reclaimed the spotlight
Henry Grimes, one of the most versatile jazz bassists, disappeared in the 1960s and was later presumed dead. However, a jazz-loving social worker found him in 2002 working as a janitor in a hotel. Grimes found his way back into the limelight when a fellow musician sent him a bass as a gift. In 2016, he received a lifetime achievement award.

The Amazing Hanging Stone in Siberia Has Defied Gravity Since the Ice Age
The unbelievable "Hanging Stone" of Siberia weighs around 300 tons and has been hanging off a 1,000-meter cliff since the Ice Age.

The Mysterious Disappearance of Frederick Valentich: Australia’s Most Baffling Aviation Enigma
In 1978, Pilot Frederick Valentich and his plane disappeared in Australia. His last communication was “Melbourne that strange aircraft is hovering on top of me again… (two seconds open microphone)… it is hovering and it’s not an aircraft…”

Mystery SOLVED: blood Rain in India
The dissemination of spores of microalgae has been identified as the origin of the 'Blood Rain' phenomena, according to a new study by Indian and Austrian experts. Since 1896, reports of intermittent red-colored rain in portions of Kerala and Sri Lanka have been coming in. The most recent one occurred in 2013 over Kerala.

The 1978 Lufthansa Heist: Unraveling the Mystery of America's Most Infamous Airport Robbery
During the 1978 Lufthansa heist, robbers infiltrated JFK Airport, restraining employees and holding a night guard hostage. They escaped with $5.9 million—worth over $27 million today. The crime, linked to the Lucchese crime family, remained unsolved for decades, with most suspects vanishing

The Miracle Baby: Nigerian Couple in the UK Welcomes a Rare Blonde, Blue-Eyed Child
A black, Nigerian couple living in the U.K. gave birth to a white, blonde, blue-eyed baby that they call the "miracle baby."