From Seyi, Yenagoa
Four Nigerian athletes going for the World Wrestling Championships in Zagreb, Croatia, have been denied Visa access to the country despite fulfilling every requirement for accreditation and travel.
The affected athletes include; two time African champion, Genesis Miessinne Mercy, three time African wrestling champion, Ogunsanya Tolulope Christianah, Ojo Damola Hannah and Izolo Stephen Simon.
Nigeria Wrestling Federation (NWF), who decried the treatment of Nigerian athletes in Croatia, said the decision is not only bewildering but profoundly unfair.
President of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation (NWF), Dr Baraladei Daniel Igali, in a protest statement to President Bola Tinubu, stated denying them visas on such flimsy and arbitrary grounds is not merely an administrative misstep, is a direct assault on their years of sacrifice, preparation, and dreams.
He said: “I am compelled, once again, to urgently draw your attention to a matter that strikes at the very heart of fairness and equality in international sport. The Nigerian delegation to the forthcoming 2025 World Wrestling Championships in Zagreb, Croatia, has been dealt a devastating blow: four of our top athletes have been denied visas by the Croatian authorities, despite fulfilling every requirement for accreditation and travel.
“The athletes affected are:
Genesis Miessinne Mercy, Passport No: B50515061, Expired 28.09.2033, Ogunsanya Tolulope Christianah, Passport No: B51481600, Expired 15.05.2035, Ojo Damola Hannah, Passport No: B03095420, Expired 03.01.2029 and Izolo Stephen Simon, Passport No: A12661364, Expired 27.07.2029.
“The reasons cited for refusal, rest largely on doubts as to whether these athletes would return to Nigeria. Such reasoning, while perhaps applicable to casual tourists, is wholly misplaced and unjust when applied to accredited athletes representing their country, officially invited and recognized by United World Wrestling, and fully funded by their government.
“This decision is not only bewildering but profoundly unfair. These are not unknown or unproven competitors:.Ojo Damola Hannah and Izolo Stephen Simon both won their first African titles this year.
“Ogunsanya Christianah and Genesis Mercy are multiple-time African champions and represented Nigeria at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
“By every measure, these athletes embody the very best of their continent. The minimum benchmark to qualify for the World Championships is to be a continental champion in one’s weight class—yet even that gold-standard achievement has been disregarded in this case.
“Denying them visas on such flimsy and arbitrary grounds is not merely an administrative misstep—it is a direct assault on their years of sacrifice, preparation, and dreams. It risks undoing the credibility of a system that is supposed to guarantee equal opportunity to all athletes, irrespective of their nationality or economic circumstances.
“Mr. President, the World Wrestling Championships are not just another competition. They are the stage upon which future Olympians are forged, and they form an essential part of the pathway to the Los Angeles 2028 Games.
“To exclude these athletes because of unfounded suspicions would be to irreparably damage their careers, while also sending a chilling signal that athletes from certain regions especially Africa are second-class participants in global sport.
“The legitimacy of any host nation does not rest only on its ability to organize logistics or provide arenas. It rests on its commitment to the principles of universality, fairness, and inclusivity that underpin our sport.
“When discriminatory visa practices are allowed to persist, whether deliberately or inadvertently, they create a two-tiered system in which some athletes are welcomed and others are unjustly shut out. This strikes at the very ethos of wrestling as a sport without borders.
“Our team is scheduled to depart for Zagreb on 13 September 2025. Time is of the essence. I therefore appeal to you, with the utmost urgency and in the strongest yet most respectful terms, to intervene directly with the Croatian authorities to ensure that these athletes are granted their visas immediately. Anything less than their full participation would not only diminish the credibility of the Championships but would also tarnish the values we all work so hard to protect.
“I place my confidence in your leadership to safeguard the rights of all athletes, regardless of origin, and to ensure that wrestling remains a true global sport where merit, not nationality, determines participation.” He said.
