The Spanish shooting federation says four athletes have been held at the airport in Abu Dhabi since Sunday, when they arrived for a connecting flight after competing in India.
The federation says the Spanish embassy in the UAE, as well as government officials in Spain, have been working to solve the problem.
Olympic athlete Alberto Fernandez, who won the trap gold medal in New Delhi, tweeted early Monday that the athletes remained detained despite the attempts by the Spanish officials and the shooting federation.