Team Nigeria Withdraws from 2025 World Relays Over Late Visa Issuance

The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) announced that Team Nigeria has officially withdrawn from the 2025 World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou, China, due to delays in visa issuance by the Chinese embassy.

Despite completing all necessary documentation and selecting top athletes—including former world champion Tobi Amusan—the team was unable to secure visas in time for departure on 5 May.

AFN President Tonobok Okowa condemned the last-minute visa issuance on the scheduled departure day as either administrative failure or deliberate exclusion of Nigerian athletes.