Visa fears threaten Nigeria's medal hopes ahead of Glasgow 2026
Nigeria’s build up to the 2026 Commonwealth Games is being shaped less by performance concerns and more by growing travel anxieties, as restrictive U.S. immigration policies cast a shadow over the country’s athletics ambitions.
With the Games set for Glasgow from July 23 to August 3, a significant portion of Nigeria’s elite track and field athletes many of whom are based in the United States now face a difficult dilemma which include compete internationally or safeguard their residency status.
Recent immigration measures in the U.S. have created uncertainty for visa holders, who fear that leaving the country, even briefly, could complicate or jeopardize their re-entry.
This has led to a quiet but impactful withdrawal trend among Nigerian athletes who depend on U.S. visas to live and train.
The situation has already taken a toll on Nigeria’s global representation. At the World Indoor Championships in Poland, the country fielded just one athlete shot putter Chukwuebuka Enekwechi, who holds a U.S. passport. Several others opted out, unwilling to risk being denied re-entry into the United States.
Insiders insist the issue is not rooted in administrative shortcomings by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) or the National Sports Commission (NSC), but rather in the unintended consequences of evolving U.S. immigration rules.
Under current conditions, some visa holders may be required to reapply for entry visas if they leave the U.S., even when their documents remain valid.
This uncertainty has placed top Nigerian athletes such as Tobi Amusan, Kanyinsola Ajayi, and Samuel Ogazi in a precarious position, with their participation in Glasgow now hanging in the balance.
Sports authorities in Nigeria are actively seeking solutions to navigate the challenge, but with the countdown to the Games already underway, time is fast becoming a limiting factor.
If unresolved, the situation could leave Nigeria underrepresented in Glasgow an outcome that would significantly dent the nation’s traditionally strong showing in athletics on the Commonwealth stage.
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