Nigeria won’t be participating in the relay events at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan. The main reason for this is the team’s non-participation in the 2025 World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou, China, which served as a qualifying event for the World Championships.
The Nigerian team’s absence from the World Athletics Relays was due to visa issues with the Chinese authorities, despite the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) selecting top stars like Tobi Amusan, Alaba Akintola, and Chidie Okezie for the event.
Some of the key issues that might have contributed to the visa problems include ²:
– Visa Approval Procedure: The Chinese embassy insisted on approving only athletes authorized by World Athletics, rather than the full delegation list submitted by the AFN.
– Administrative Challenges: There were allegations of administrative failures by the AFN, including replacing qualified athletes with officials, which might have complicated the visa process.
The 2025 World Athletics Championships will take place in Tokyo from September 13 to 21, featuring over 2,000 athletes from around 200 countries.
