VISA APARTHEID IS KILLING AFRICAN SPORTS

VISA APARTHEID IS KILLING AFRICAN SPORTS

--IOC, FIFA, W.A must act fast

Ohis Asein

For decades, African athletes have battled more than their opponents on the track, in the stadium, or on the field of play. They have also had to fight an invisible opponent—restrictive visa policies that continue to deny them the opportunity to compete on the world's biggest sporting stages.

This is no longer just a visa problem; it is a crisis that threatens the future of African sports.

How many medals has Nigeria lost because athletes could not secure visas on time? How many careers have been disrupted because a qualified athlete was denied entry into a host country? How many national teams have been forced to compete below strength because officials, coaches, or support staff were left behind?

These are questions that demand urgent answers.

Across Africa, athletes dedicate years of their lives to training, often under difficult conditions. They qualify for international championships through talent, discipline, and sacrifice. Yet, after overcoming every sporting challenge, many are stopped by embassy doors instead of the finish line.

This is unacceptable.

The Nigerian Government and other African governments must elevate sports diplomacy to a national priority. Every accredited athlete and official representing their country deserves diplomatic support to ensure smooth and timely visa processing. Our athletes should not be treated as potential immigrants when they are ambassadors carrying their nation's flag.

At the same time, international sporting organizations must stop pretending this is solely an immigration matter. FIFA, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), World Athletics, and other global federations have a moral responsibility to protect athletes from discriminatory visa practices that undermine fair competition.

An athlete who has qualified through an internationally recognized process should never miss a championship because of avoidable visa delays. Host nations awarded the right to stage international events must also accept the responsibility of facilitating entry for accredited participants.

Sport is built on fairness, equal opportunity, and respect. Those principles are meaningless when athletes from one region of the world face barriers that others rarely encounter.

Africa is not asking for special treatment. Africa is demanding fairness.

The next generation of African champions should be remembered for the records they broke, the medals they won, and the pride they brought to their nations—not for the competitions they never attended because a visa was delayed or denied.

The time for polite appeals is over. Governments, embassies, and international sports bodies must act decisively. Until they do, every athlete denied the chance to compete is a reminder that the spirit of global sport remains incomplete.

— Ohis Asein

Sports Journalist & CEO, faksmedia