Nigeria Withdraws From World Relays Over Visa Delays

Nigeria Withdraws From World Relays Over Visa Delays

Precious Oham

The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) has reportedly announced with deep regret the withdrawal of Team Nigeria from the 2025 World Relays in Guangzhou, China, BSNSports.com.ng reports.

According to reports, the latest development is regarding the alleged visa denial by the Chinese Embassy despite the federation's efforts.

The reports state further that, "This last-minute issuance, occurring on the day, our team was scheduled to arrive in Guangzhou, which renders participation logistically impossible and demonstrates a fundamental failure of Chinese administrative processes.

"The AFN highlights the following specific failures by Chinese authorities that have directly resulted in Team Nigeria's inability to participate:.

"Excessive and Discriminatory Requirements: Chinese authorities imposed visa requirements that far exceeded international sporting norms, including demands for documentation that was particularly burdensome for Nigerian nationals.

"Deliberate Processing Delays: Despite our athletes submitting passport applications at Chinese Embassies in Washington DC, Berlin, and Abuja on April 25, 2025—a full two weeks before the competition—Chinese authorities delayed processing without a reasonable explanation.

 "Verification Letter Confusion: The Chinese visa system's requirement for a special "Verification Letter of Invitation" was poorly communicated and inconsistently applied, with LOC officials themselves unclear about their own procedures.

 "Inexplicable Final Delay: Even after all documentation was finally accepted as complete, Chinese authorities held the applications for additional days without justification, only to issue the visas on May 8—the very day the team needed to be in China."