The Embassy of China in Nigeria has responded to claims by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) that visa delays by Chinese authorities led to the country’s withdrawal from the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou, China, scheduled for May 10–11, 2025.
The Chinese mission refuted the allegation, stating that the delay was not on their part but a result of late application submissions by Nigerian officials.
Earlier, the AFN issued a statement attributing Nigeria’s non-participation in the major international event to a failure by the Chinese authorities to issue visas on time.
However, the Chinese Embassy in Abuja said this narrative does not reflect the actual sequence of events.
Clarifying the timeline, the Embassy revealed that it received a formal request from Nigeria’s National Sports Commission on April 24. The request, dated April 22, sought support for expedited visa processing for athletes heading to the competition.
In response, the Embassy said it promptly engaged with the Commission, providing detailed guidance on the required documentation to fast-track the process.
Despite this, the Embassy stated that visa application materials were only submitted to the China Visa Application Centre on May 6—just four days before the competition.
Even with the tight timeframe, the Embassy said it activated expedited procedures and issued all visas by May 8, two days before the event was set to begin.
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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 said.
China’s diplomatic mission emphasized its longstanding commitment to fostering sports and cultural exchanges with Nigeria, highlighting previous efforts to assist Nigerian citizens in visa matters efficiently and professionally.
However, it stressed that visa issuance is a sovereign process that requires applicants to provide all necessary documentation within a reasonable timeframe.
“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,” the Embassy noted.
Reaffirming its dedication to Nigeria-China relations, the Embassy reiterated its openness to future collaboration and support for sporting and people-to-people exchanges, expressing hope that such misunderstandings do not hinder growing bilateral cooperation.
