After pulling out Team Nigeria from the 2025 World Relay in China, the Athletic Federation of Nigeria (AFN) is seeking for compensation from the host while also charging the World Athletics to implement stiffer requirements for host country regarding visa accessibility.
With the host nation granting Nigeria athletes visa on the eve of the competition, the federation decided to pull the country out of the relays which would have given the team opportunity to qualify for the World Championships.
According to the AFN, the country and the athletes have suffered a lot due to the late issuance of visas as the AFN president, Tonobok Okowa, described the situation as a diplomatic failure that has profound sporting consequences.
“The last-minute visa issuance has resulted in physical impossibility of reaching competition venues in time for key events, wasted training preparations specifically tailored for this competition, significant financial losses in airfare, accommodation, logistics, loss of crucial qualification opportunities and psychological impact on athletes who were prepared to compete,” Okowa said.
“Our athletes submitted all required documentation in good faith and well in advance, yet were subjected to delays and obstacles that made participation impossible. The timing of this visa issuance – on the very day our team was scheduled to arrive in China – can only be interpreted as either gross administrative incompetence or a deliberate attempt to exclude Nigerian athletes from the World Relays”.
