World Athletics Ultimate Championships: AFN’s Late Visa Application Costs Nigeria Mixed 4x100m Relay Spot
Team Nigeria will not compete in the mixed 4x100m relay at the World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest, Hungary, after the country failed to have its team confirmed in the final entries released on Thursday.
Nigeria had earned automatic qualification for the mixed 4x100m relay through its performance at the World Relays in Botswana, raising expectations that the country would be represented in the event in Budapest.
However, the opportunity has been lost after the Nigerian home-based contingent selected for the relay failed to secure entry visas to Hungary.
According to AFN president Tonobok Okowa, who is already in Budapest alongside other federation officials, the problem arose because the Athletics Federation of Nigeria applied for the visas late.
Okowa told our correspondent that the federation received the invitation letters from the organisers late, leaving it with insufficient time to complete the visa process for the home-based athletes and officials.
The explanation, however, is likely to raise questions, particularly because Hungary is part of the Schengen Area and visa applications normally require advance planning and processing time.
The AFN would have been aware of the visa requirements and the potential processing period well before the team’s departure, especially given that the federation knew that athletes based in Nigeria would require entry visas to travel to Budapest.
The failure to secure the visas means Nigeria will not take its place in an event for which it had already earned automatic qualification on the track.
The development is particularly disappointing because the mixed 4x100m relay was one of the opportunities for Nigeria to showcase its sprint depth on the international stage.
While the AFN has attributed the absence to the late receipt of invitation letters from the organisers, the circumstances surrounding the visa application are expected to come under scrutiny, with questions likely to be asked about whether sufficient time was allowed for the travel documentation to be processed.
For now, Nigeria’s place in the mixed 4x100m relay will remain unfilled in Budapest despite the country having done enough on the track in Botswana to earn automatic qualification.
