The Chinese Embassy in Nigeria on Saturday responded to reports concerning the withdrawal of Nigerian athletes from the 2025 World Relays in Guangzhou, China, fingering the Athletics Federation of Nigeria for muddying the facts about the visa processing timelines, Sunday PUNCH reports.

AFN announced Nigeria’s withdrawal from the World Championship-qualifying event on Friday, citing visa delays by Chinese authorities as the reason for their decision.

This marks the second time Team Nigeria will be affected by visa issues for a major championship this year. The country had only one athlete at the World Indoors which was also held in China in March.

In a statement issued in Abuja, the Chinese Embassy expressed regret over the athletes’ absence but maintained that it had acted promptly and efficiently upon receiving a request for assistance from the National Sports Commission.

“On April 24, the Embassy received a letter from the National Sports Commission of Nigeria (dated 22 April) requesting assistance in processing visas for Nigerian athletes to participate in the event in China.

“The Embassy immediately communicated with the Commission and guided it to prepare the relevant materials to expedite the visa application.

“On May 6, the China Visa Application Centre received the relevant application materials submitted by the Nigerian athletes. 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.

The AFN in their statement on Friday had accused the Chinese authorities of frustrating their visa applications, but the Embassy insisted that the athletics body was economical with the truth.

“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 should be noted as well that visa issuance is a matter of national sovereignty, and all foreign embassies require applicants to provide the corresponding documents and materials, as well as allow sufficient time for the application process.

“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 two-day 2025 World Relays will end today with the final events scheduled to light up the Guangdong Olympic Stadium.