Hundreds apply for asylum in Australia after Commonwealth Games

More than 200 people who travelled to Australia for last month's Commonwealth Games have applied for asylum, an official has said.

But 50 others, who also stayed behind after their Games visas expired, appear to have vanished.

They have not got in touch with authorities or applied for a new visa, the official said.

Those that made their presence known "applied for a protection visa", Malisa Golightly from the home affairs department told a parliamentary hearing in Canberra.

A total of 205 competitors or support staff "are now lawfully in the country because they've applied for a visa of some type", Ms Golightly said.

Some 190 applied for a "protection visa", while another 10 to 15 had sought other types of visa.

They are now on bridging visas while their applications are assessed and remain in Australia.

Ms Golightly did not say where the applicants are from, but previous reports said they had travelled from Cameroon, Uganda, Rwanda and Sierra Leone.

During the Games, held on the Gold Coast between 4 and 15 April, several athletes from African countries vanished.

Some of them resurfaced and sought legal advice on how to apply for asylum after their Games visas expired, refugee advocates said.