A bronze medalist for Cameroon at the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth games, Simplice Ribouem took the chance to escape his conflict riven country and seek asylum in Australia.
He says his life in Australia is much better.
"There's shooting and people get killed, we don't have that here in Australia, you can walk where ever you want to and you are feeling free. Free like a bird, not even the bird is free like you."
Four years later he won gold for Australia at the 2010 New Delhi Commonwealth Games and silver in Glasgow in 2014.
6,500 athletes and officials are attending the Gold Coast games, some of them come from countries affected by conflict or where minorities are repressed.
37 of the Commonwealth's 53 member countries criminalise same-sex activity.
Despite this, Home Affairs minister Peter Dutton made it clear in February no one is to disobey visa laws.
"The Commonwealth Games is going to be an amazing event, 100,000 visitors will descend not he Gold Coast. Our message to the half-a-percent who overstay a visa or not act within the conditions of their visa, is that Australia has very tough laws and they need to abide by the law."
And last month (Febraury), Rwandan athletes were issued a stern warning that they face treason charges if they fled.
Sarah Dale is the principal lawyer as the Refugee Advice and Casework Service and regularly handles asylum applications.
She says anyone can seek asylum if they feel they have a well-founded fear of persecution.
"It is one-hundred per cent legal to seek asylum no matter how you arrived in Australia or your purpose for being here. If it's by plane or by sea, you have the right to seek asylum if you feel you would face serious human rights violations in you home country upon return.
Small numbers of athletes and officials overstay visas or seek asylum at most Commonwealth or Olympic Games.
45 people from Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria and Bangladesh overstayed or claimed asylum after the 2006 Melbourne Games.
Many received refugee status including Simplice Ribouem.
Mr Ribouem says others must really think about their decision before they make it.
"My advice to people who chose to do what I do is to think properly. If you decide you want to stay, have a good reason and a thing to show the government why you want to stay."
Since becoming a citizen a decade ago, Mr Ribouem is now married and has children.
But they've never met their grandmother.
Mr Ribouem hopes his efforts for Australian sport will be rewarded with a visa for his mum.
"I want my mother to come here, I think that's the priority now."
