Renowned track and field coach, Olalekan Soetan has slammed the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) over what he described as their poor handling of visa applications for the country’s relays team at China’s embassy.
Sports247 gathered that Nigeria will be absent at the 2025 World Relays Championship this weekend in Guangzhou, China, after the host nation’s embassy eventually issued the visas three days before the commencement of action in the communist country.
A statement by the AFN blamed the Chinese embassies in Abuja and the USA for inadequate communication and inconsistent processes, while also pointing out that their application was submitted in February, but Soetan insisted that the athletics body did not start the process early enough.
Soetan roared, “Why will it be visa issue? When they ought to have secured that since last year. You don’t wait until the last minute. This is for our best athletes, elite athletes. We ought to have applied for this six months ago.”
Soetan also proffered solutions that could have been embarked upon by the AFN, especially as seven Nigerian athletes have already qualified to participate at the World Atheltics Championships billed for Tokyo, Japan in September and some are already out there preparing in The Land of The Rising Sun.
He added, “We could have opened camp in Tokyo, and we would have gotten visas for our best athletes. If we need to use note verbale to get visa, we would have got it … not rushing for it at the last minute.
“They shouldn’t give us excuses of visa. That means they don’t know what to do. Who is running the logistics for them? That’s a total failure. How can the NSC not have someone who can help them run the logistics on time?”
While also holding the National Sports Commission (NSC) culpable alongside the AFN, the outspoken track and field tactician noted how the missed championship in China will affect many top Nigerian athletes who would have used the relays to pick precious slots at the forthcoming world championship in Japan.
“This is not a junior competition. It is not a youth competition. This is elite … it’s for the best of the best. Some Nigerian athletes are already competing in Tokyo, but you can’t secure visa for a team going to China. That is total arrant nonsense. I can’t even believe it,” Soetan agonised.
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