And finally… Checking out

The team was held captive in the hotel where they were participating in the Checkers World Championship, for hours on Thursday.

The team were prevented from leaving because the bill for their stay had not been paid.

The conflict over the bill was between the hotel and the Ivorian Ministry of Sport, according to RTL Nieuws.

The Ministry did not pay the bill for the hotel, where the participating teams stayed and matches were played.

Harry Otten of the global checkers federation FMJD told RTL that the hotel “called in armed police and closed the gates”.

He called it “hostage taking” and “a more than outrageous situation”.

The Dutch ambassador in the Ivory Coast contacted the local Ministry of Sport and was told that the Ministry was unaware that the bill had not been paid for, a spokesperson for the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs said to RTL Nieuws.

The Ministry of Sport then contacted the hotel to gather information regarding the situation.

The hotel decided to let its guests leave 4.5 hours later.

The Dutch checkers association involved, KNDB said on Facebook “The situation has apparently been resolved by the officials on the scene. A few people have since left the hotel to catch their flight.”

Those who left included the Dutch arbitrator. The rest of the team, comprised of three players and the coach, headed home on Friday.