The Chinese Embassy in Nigeria has issued a formal response to reports that visa delays by Chinese authorities prevented Nigerian athletes from participating in the 2025 World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou, China.
According to the Embassy, the claims made by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) are “clearly inconsistent with the facts.”
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In a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES on Saturday, the Embassy acknowledged media reports quoting the AFN’s announcement of its withdrawal from the global relay event—scheduled for 10–11 May, due to alleged visa issues.
Timeline
However, the Embassy outlined a detailed timeline to dispute these claims.
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“On April 24, the Embassy received a letter from the National Sports Commission of Nigeria (dated April 22) requesting assistance in processing visas for Nigerian athletes to participate in the event in China,” the statement read.
The Embassy explained that it “immediately communicated with the Commission and guided it to prepare the relevant materials so as to expedite visa application.”
According to the timeline provided, the China Visa Application Centre received the athletes’ visa materials on 6 May.
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“The Embassy immediately activated the expedited procedure, provided the utmost assistance to the Nigerian applicants, and completed the visa issuance on May 8,” the statement added.
While expressing regret that the Nigerian team was unable to travel, the Embassy emphasised that it has consistently supported sports exchanges and cooperation between China and Nigeria.
“The Embassy of China in Nigeria has always actively supported people-to-people and sports cooperation between the two countries, repeatedly expressed its welcome for Nigerian athletes to participate in events in China, and consistently assisted Nigerian citizens in visa applications in an efficient and professional manner,” it stated.
It further underscored that “visa issuance is a matter of national sovereignty,” noting that embassies around the world “require applicants to provide the corresponding documents and materials, as well as allow sufficient time for the application process.”
While stopping short of attributing blame directly, the Embassy firmly rejected the AFN’s version of events.
“We regret that the Nigerian athletes were unable to participate in the event in China this time, but the statement issued by the AFN is clearly inconsistent with the facts,” it said.
The Embassy reaffirmed its commitment to bilateral relations and sports diplomacy.
“The Embassy of China in Nigeria remains committed to promoting friendly exchanges between the Chinese and Nigerian peoples and stands ready to continue providing support and assistance for exchanges and cooperation in various fields, including sports,” the statement concluded.
PREMIUM TIMES had published an exclusive report after speaking on Friday with the Cultural Counsellor at the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria, Yang Jianxing.
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.
Below is the full text of the statement issued earlier by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria
Official Statement:
With deep regret, we, the Athletics Federation of Nigeria,Athletics Federation of Nigeria, announce our withdrawal from the World Relays following unacceptable visa delays by Chinese authorities.
Despite our diligent efforts processing documentation since February, our athletes have faced numerous obstacles – from embassy embarrassment to last-minute visa issuance that made competition attendance physically impossible.
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.
Chinese authorities frustrated our participation by claiming they didn’t have contact with their own Embassy in Washington and Abuja, also providing incorrect invitation letters and changing the application portal twice!
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Their requirement for a special “Verification Letter of Invitation” was poorly communicated and inconsistently applied while they demanded police reports and even Bank statements from all participating athletes, coaches and officials.
We stand by our decision to withdraw as it became clear our team wouldn’t receive fair treatment or opportunity to compete.
We thank our athletes for their dedication and resilience through this challenging situation. 🇳🇬
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