The world’s best sprinters have a job to do in China this weekend! As Guangzhou turns host for its very first 2025 World Relays scheduled in the coming 2 days, several big names like Kenny Bednarek, Shericka Jackson, Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce, and others assemble under one roof. But amidst the breakneck competition, track and field athletes from one nation would be prominently absent. Did they forget to file the applications? Or was there a lapse on their end? Well, you’d be surprised to know that they might have been held back for no mistake of their own!

We’re talking about the Nigerian athletes here. News comes in that they’ve had a visa crisis with the host nation, as a result of which, they most likely won’t be competing at the World Athletics Relays 2025. Wonder what happened? Well, initially, the Chinese authorities denied the U.S.-based Nigerian athletes their visas to enter Guangzhou, even though both local and international applications were submitted weeks ago. Surprisingly, all home-based athletes had received their visas. But the U.S.-based Nigerians? They were denied at first and then cleared with a delay.

However, this isn’t sitting right with the track and field community. As soon as this update made rounds on the internet, fans chimed in with their reactions. And, needless to say, a sense of disappointment was common in most. “Countries with very strict visa rules should not be hosting such events!! This is so unfair to the athletes! The World athletics and Nigeria has failed these guys AGAIN. Things like this hold T&F back,” wrote one of the fans.

Amid this, the Director General of the National Sports Commission of Nigeria, Bukola Olopade, has said that despite the delayed clearance, if the Nigerian track and field stars fail to compete at the World Relays 2025, the blame will lie not with the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN). He said, “Let the facts be clear. The AFN did everything right and on time. The NSC approved the needed funds as far back as February or March. This is not a Nigerian ailure—it’s a global systems failure.”

But guess what? They aren’t sitting back and taking the hit this time. Yes, the AFN has filed a formal petition under World Athletics, requesting that Nigeria be granted a qualifying pass. Their argument stands firm on the fact that they followed all protocols and should not be punished for what they call a failure in global coordination. Interestingly, fans seem to have a similar outlook.

Track and field fans are enraged by the World Relays upset

Commenting on the post, one of the fans wrote, “Big blow for Nigeria 😔. ” Well, it truly must have hit them like a gut punch. However, when it comes to Nigerian athletes, there is an unfortunate pattern that comes to light. Back in 2024, Commonwealth Games long jump champion Ese Brume had to miss out on the Suzhou Diamond League because she was denied a Chinese visa. Nigeria’s relay team also had to miss the 2021 and 2023 World Relays due to visa hitches.

No wonder one of the fans reacted to the news with, “Am I shocked? Absolutely not. It’s Nigerian athletics, these things have almost become a yearly occurrence. Worst part? Heads won’t roll, we’ll just move on like nothing happened.” But with Nigeria filing a formal petition this time, Bukola Olopade is confident that, “We’re not just sitting back. We’ve acted fast and professionally, and we won’t allow false stories to spread. The athletes deserve better.”

Well, Nigeria’s miss, however, will open up the competition for the rest of the track and field teams, as they were slated as staunch competitors. In 2024, at the World Relays in the Bahamas, Nigeria’s mixed 4x400m relay team etched history by shattering the African Record with a new National Record time of 3:12.87. However, a fan points out that such talent cannot be valuable without access to opportunity, “We like to say talent is everywhere. But if access isn’t, then opportunity is a lie.” 

However, it’s not just Nigeria, but even the Dominican Republic will not be showing up at the 2025 World Relays due to visa issues. No wonder a fan chimed in, saying, “This is absolute trash. Before countries are allowed to host these events, it should be in the agreement that visas of participating athletes should not be denied.” The frustration among the track and field enthusiasts is palpable.

Finally, some of the fans even opined that the timing makes this worse. They commented, “Track nations like Nigeria could’ve benefited from the mixed 4×100 which makes this even more tragic😓 In the great year of 2025 mind you…” Well, we all know that the World Relays will also act as the all-important track and field Tokyo 2025 World Championships qualifiers set to be held later this year. Thus, the stakes were really very high. Also, the mixed 4x100m relay event is making its global debut at the World Relays this year. And Team Nigeria should have had a fair chance in it, like the USA team at the World Relays 2025 will have. Or any other country, for that matter. What do you think? Let us know below!