Team Nigeria Withdraws from 2025 World Relays Due to Visa Delays

Team Nigeria has officially withdrawn from the 2025 World Relays, which is scheduled to take place in Guangzhou, China due to significant delays in visa issuance. The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) released a statement on Friday, expressing deep regret over the situation, which has prevented the team from attending the event.

Despite starting the visa application process as early as February, the federation cited repeated delays and last-minute actions by Chinese authorities as the key factors behind their decision. The AFN highlighted that the embassy’s handling of the visa process was problematic, causing major disruptions for the athletes.

“The embassy’s delay in issuing visas made it physically impossible for our athletes to participate,” the AFN statement explained, adding that these delays wasted precious training time, led to financial losses, and caused considerable psychological distress to the athletes. The federation also pointed out poor communication and inconsistencies in the documentation process, including incorrectly issued invitation letters and shifting application portals.

Team Nigeria, which was set to compete in the men’s and women’s 4x100m, mixed 4x100m, and mixed 4x400m relay events, consisted of nine women and eight men. The federation made it clear that the team would not receive fair treatment or opportunities to compete under the current circumstances, leading to the tough decision to withdraw from the World Relays.