Nigeria Withdraws from World Relays over China’s Visa Issues |TheNewsDESK

Friday May 9, 2025 |

The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) has announced the country’s withdrawal from the 2025 World Relays in the China, citing persistent and frustrating visa delays by Chinese authorities, FirstNEWS reports.

In an official statement posted on its Facebook page on Friday, May 9, the AFN expressed deep regret over the decision, describing the situation as both unacceptable and demoralising for the Nigerian team.

“With deep regret, we, the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, announce our withdrawal from the World Relays following unacceptable visa delays by Chinese authorities,” the statement read.

According to the federation, efforts to secure visas for Nigerian athletes and officials began in February, but were marred by serious complications.

“Despite our diligent efforts processing documentation since February, our athletes have faced numerous obstacles, from embassy embarrassment to last-minute visa issuance that made competition attendance physically impossible.”

The AFN condemned what it described as a lack of coordination and poor communication from Chinese officials, who were unresponsive to inquiries and repeatedly shifted the goalposts.

“Chinese authorities frustrated our participation by claiming they didn’t have contact with their own Embassy in Washington and Abuja, also providing incorrect invitation letters and changing the application portal twice!”

Even more frustrating, the AFN said, was the demand for excessive documentation from the athletes, including police reports and personal bank statements.

“Their requirement for a special ‘Verification Letter of Invitation’ was poorly communicated and inconsistently applied while they demanded police reports and even bank statements from all participating athletes, coaches and officials.”

The federation said it reached the decision to withdraw after realising that the athletes would not receive fair or timely treatment to compete.

“We stand by our decision to withdraw as it became clear our team wouldn’t receive fair treatment or opportunity to compete.”

It noted the devastating impact the withdrawal has had on the athletes who were primed to represent Nigeria with pride.

“The impact has been severe: wasted training preparations, significant financial losses, lost qualification opportunities, and devastating psychological effects on our athletes who were ready to represent Nigeria with pride.”

The AFN ended the statement by applauding the resilience and commitment of the athletes despite the ordeal.

“We thank our athletes for their dedication and resilience through this challenging situation.”