As Bostwana’s first ever Olympic gold medalist, and first for Africa since 1996, Letsile Tebogo, returned to Gaborone, tens and thousands of people packed the local stadium, waiving the country’s blue-and-black national flag as the athletes paraded across the town on bus tops. President Mokgweetsi Masisi gave Botswana the afternoon off. And that was just the beginning of how the 21-year-old was able to change, “the perspective of Africa from being a long-distance continent into being a short-distance continent.” But as he prepared for the World Athletics Relay set for the weekend in Guangzhou, China, with the men’s 4x400m relay team, the Botswana Athletics Association (BAA) announced a sad update.

On May 5, BAA confirmed, “Three of our men’s 4×400 metres relay team members, namely Letsile Tebogo, Collen Kebinatshipi and Bayapo Ndori have officially withdrawn from the team for personal reasons.” So a team… A nation, that was all set to defend its title and remind everyone of the powerhouse it is in the track and field as a whole, suddenly was left scratching its heads about what had happened. However, their HC Justice Dipeba promised, “I believe in the depth and potential of this team. This is the time for others to step up.” With that being said, the 2025 World Relays found a spark again. Until now, when there is more upsetting news coming from other teams.

According to the latest tweet by the official account of the Track & Field Gazette, “The Dominican Republic will not compete at the 2025 World Relays due to visa issues. They were entered for the men’s 4x100m and mixed 4x400m relay for the competition taking place this weekend.”

With another strong nation getting hit just a few hours before the World Relays kick off, the general feeling throughout the sport is definitely frustrating.” But then came another hammer.

Track & Field Gazette tweeted another news to shock the track and field world. “Team Nigeria will not compete at the World Relays! They were denied visas by the Chinese embassy and were due to compete in the men’s 4x100m, women’s 4x100m, mixed 4x100m, and mixed 4x400m relays! The World Relays will serve as qualification for the World Championships.”

With several top nations suddenly out, what was shaping up to be a track and field spectacle has now turned into a scramble. Fans who were gearing up for fireworks are now left with question marks. However, Director-General of the NSC, Bukola Olopade cleared the air on how the visa troubles were not on the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and the NSC. His recent statement read:

“AFN did everything correctly and at the right time. NSC approved funds since February/March. World Athletics has failed in its responsibilities to get the host country to make visas easily available to athletes and officials. The Chinese and Guangzhou provinces, due to their harsh policies against the USA, have failed to give visas to seven of our US-based athletes.”

According to sources, the AFN took all the necessary procedures according to the timeline. In fact, the funding for the competition was approved back in February/March itself. The AFN also released its 18-athlete squad for the event in April. Now, the nation in left hoping that their petition to World Athletics comes through and Nigeria is granted a free pass to qualify for the World Championships.

Updated reports also suggest that the seven U.S.-based Nigerian athletes who were denied entry by the Chinese consulate in Guangzhou have received their visas. However, now everything depends on whether they will fly out of Los Angeles and reach the event on time to participate or pull out of the competition. Unfortunately, this was not the first time that Nigeria had to face visa troubles. 

In March, Nigeria’s contingent to the World Relays in Nanjing, China, was also depleted by the same issues. The also missed the 2021 World Relays in Poland over visa denials.

Still, the stakes haven’t changed. According to World Athletics, the top 14 teams in the men’s and women’s 4x100m and 4x400m will qualify for the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo. On Day 1, the top two teams in each of the four heats will lock in their spots for Tokyo and move on to the final. The rest will battle it out in Day 2’s repechage round, where the top two teams in each heat still have a shot.

The drama, the pressure, the heartbreak—it’s all still there. But with key stars missing, this year’s World Athletics Relays might just be remembered for who didn’t show up rather than who crossed the line first. But does that open the door for teams like the U.S., Jamaica, and others to cruise through and capitalize, or does it just crank up the unpredictability even more?

Golden opportunity for Team USA and others as powerhouse teams pull out of the 2025 World Athletics Relays

As several powerhouse teams have pulled out of the 2025 World Athletics Relays, this could be a golden opportunity for Team USA. Well, we know the USA might have stumbled last year, with a disqualification in the heats at the World Athletics Relays, but they bounced back to snatch the Olympic title in Paris. That victory, which marked their 19th Olympic 4x100m title, was a huge comeback.

The team, made up of Christopher Bailey, Vernon Norwood, Bryce Deadmon, and Rai Benjamin, doesn’t feature in the U.S. squad this time, but the depth of talent is still there. The top 14 teams in Guangzhou will automatically qualify, and with nine of the past 10 world titles under their belt, the U.S. will enter as defending champions, hoping to add another win to their legacy.

As for the competition, Canada’s Andre De Grasse is aiming for a World Relays title after leading his team to the Olympic 4x100m gold in Paris 2024. Alongside Aaron Brown, Jerome Blake, and Brendon Rodney, he’ll be looking to challenge for a spot, though the team is a bit weaker without some of their key players. South Africa, with Akani Simbine and up-and-coming stars like Bayanda Walaza and Bradley Nkoana, are poised to make some noise.

Their squad also features world record holder Wayde van Niekerk, who’ll be joined by Lythe Pillay, Zakithi Nene, and Gardeo Isaacs. Great Britain will rely on 60m world indoor champion Jeremiah Azu and Olympian Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake, while Italy is hoping Olympic champions Lorenzo Patta and Filippo Tortu can carry their team to the top.

Jamaica’s team, featuring Kishane Thompson and Ackeem Blake, will be looking for a strong performance, too. Australia’s Lachlan Kennedy and Torrie Lewis will be aiming for solid showings in the shorter relays. Even with some teams out of the picture, this year’s World Athletics Relays is still fierce. But with Team USA in a strong position, they’re a team to watch as they aim for another dominant performance on the world stage.