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Following Nigeria’s unexpected withdrawal from the 2025 World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou, China, the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria has broken its silence on the visa controversy that left Team Nigeria unable to travel.
In an exclusive interview with PREMIUM TIMES, the Cultural Counsellor at the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria, Yang Jianxing, offered a detailed account of the events and emphasised the embassy’s commitment to resolving the matter amicably.
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Mr Yang said that the embassy has scheduled a meeting with the National Sports Commission (NSC) to discuss the visa issues that frustrated the delegation’s participation.
“Next week, we plan to meet with the staff at the National Sports Commission to talk about this. We want to explain everything we did and make sure such an unfortunate result does not happen again.” Mr Yang said.
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A central point of contention in the controversy is the conflicting timelines provided by the Chinese Embassy and the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) regarding the submission of visa applications.
Tight timeline
According to Mr Yang, the Chinese Embassy acted swiftly within its procedural constraints once the Nigerian delegation submitted all the required documentation, but the applications were received late, and the time available for processing was extremely limited.
“We normally require a minimum of five working days to process and inspect visa applications,” he explained. “Unfortunately, due to the May Day holiday from 1-5 May, we lost valuable processing time.”
Mr Yang said that initially, nine Nigerian delegation members were intended to travel, but after document review, only seven had complete and acceptable applications.
He said that despite the embassy’s shortened timeline, visas for the seven were approved and issued on the evening of 8 May, just hours before the team’s scheduled flight.
“We released the visas at 5:10 p.m., and their flight was at around 9 p.m. I think, or earlier,” he said. “The time was extremely tight, but we did everything we could to fast-track the process.”
Mr Yang further clarified that the delayed submission significantly constrained the embassy’s ability to process the applications on time.
“As a bureau, we need five days, but we shortened the inspection time to try our best to help. If the documents had arrived before the May Day holiday, the situation would have been different,” he added.
However, this narrative appears at odds with the AFN’s official statement.
According to the federation, preparations for visa applications began as early as February.
“Despite our diligent efforts processing documentation since February, our athletes faced numerous obstacles, from embassy embarrassment to last-minute visa issuance that made competition attendance physically impossible,” the AFN said.
Overall, the inability of the nine visa applicants (made up of athletes and officials) to get their visas early prevented them from joining other foreign-based Nigerian athletes, who had likely sorted their Chinese travel documents from their bases. Since the event is a relay competition, all members of the team were needed for effective participation, hence Nigeria’s decision to withdraw.
No blame games
Mr Yang emphasised that both the Chinese side and the Nigerian delegation tried their best, and he refrained from assigning blame.
“I don’t want to blame anyone,” he stated. “The total time was just too short. Everyone tried their best, including our embassy staff and the Nigerian officials.”
He also expressed deep disappointment at the outcome, describing the missed opportunity as “very sad” for both nations.
“The Guangzhou World Relays was a great opportunity for Nigerian and African athletes. I believe they could have achieved excellent results,” Mr.Yang said.
Commitment to stronger collaboration
Mr Yang expressed the embassy’s commitment to fostering a closer relationship with Nigeria’s sports authorities in the future.
He said clearer communication and earlier preparation would be crucial to avoid similar incidents in the future.
“We hope to improve communication and coordination going forward. Better exchange of information between our two sides will help us avoid this kind of problem in the future. From next time, we want to make sure Nigerian teams can travel to China smoothly for sports and cultural exchanges,” he said.
AFN expresses outrage
Meanwhile, the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) has reacted strongly to the incident.
In an official statement released, the federation expressed “deep regret” over the country’s withdrawal, calling it a “devastating blow” to Nigerian athletes who had trained intensely for months in preparation for the event.
The federation noted that the consequences of the withdrawal are far-reaching. Not only has Nigeria lost a crucial chance to secure early Olympic qualification in the relays, but the athletes have also endured financial losses and psychological stress.
“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 statement read.
The named Nigerian team
About two weeks ago, the AFN had unveiled the team selected for the World Relays, confirming that the country would compete in four of the six relay categories: men’s 4x100m, women’s 4x100m, mixed 4x100m, and mixed 4x400m.
Among them were the world record holder in the 100m hurdles, Tobi Amusan, American collegiate sprint sensation Favour Ashe, and former U-20 World Champion Udodi Onwuzurike.
Amusan and Favour Ofili were also expected to provide critical experience and leadership in the women’s and mixed 4x100m relays.
The men’s 4x100m team included Alaba Akintola, Karlington Anunagba, Olaoye Folawiyo, Usheoritse Itsekiri, as well as Ashe and Onwuzurike, whose speed and baton exchange had impressed in previous competitions.
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The women’s squad featured Amusan, Ofili, Rosemary Chukwuma, Justina Eyakpobeyan, Obi Jennifer Chukwuka, and Success Umukoro—athletes known for their consistency in both local and international meets.
In the mixed 4x100m, Nigeria combined the explosive pace of Akintola, Ashe, Ofili, and Chukwuma with the dynamic contributions of Onwuzurike and Umukoro.
The mixed 4x400m team saw the return of 400m veterans Chidi Okezie and Ifeanyi Ojeli alongside Samson Nathaniel, Praise Idamadudu, Patience Okon-George, and Omolara Ogunmakinju, all of whom have represented Nigeria on major global stages.
Next steps
The AFN is now looking to engage with World Athletics to explore alternative qualification routes for the affected teams ahead of the Olympics. The National Sports Commission is also looking towards exploring other plausible options.
The persistent visa challenges Nigerian teams face while trying to attend international competitions have once again been spotlighted by this latest incident.
From athletics to basketball and even football, various national teams have missed tournaments due to delays or denials in securing visas.
This latest setback highlights the urgent need for better diplomatic coordination, early logistical planning, and fairer visa protocols in global sports.
