Team Nigeria is gearing up for an exciting showing at the 2025 World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou, China, with plans to compete in four of the six events scheduled for the global meet, which runs from May 10 to 11.
According to the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), the country’s athletes will feature in the men’s and women’s 4x100m relays, as well as the mixed 4x100m and mixed 4x400m relays. These selections reflect a strategic decision by the Federation to focus on events where Nigeria has traditionally shown strength and strong medal potential.
AFN Secretary Israel Inwang Mfon explained that the Federation prioritized events with the highest chances of success, saying: “We had to place premium on areas of comparative advantage and medal prospects. Our choices reflect the depth of talent we have in the sprints and our growing capability in mixed relays.”
This year’s championship in Guangzhou builds on changes introduced during the 2024 edition held in Nassau, Bahamas, where the World Athletics governing body made a significant shift by removing all non-Olympic relay events. Previously featured races like the 4x800m, 4x1500m, 4x200m, distance medley relay, shuttle hurdles relay, and the 2x2x400m were scrapped in favor of a streamlined Olympic-focused lineup.
The 2024 event in Nassau featured five Olympic-aligned relays. Now, with the introduction of the mixed 4x100m relay at the 2025 edition, the event tally increases to six — all aligning with Olympic standards.
For Nigeria, this presents not only a chance to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics (as the World Relays serve as a major qualifying event) but also an opportunity to reaffirm its dominance in the sprinting world, especially after promising performances in recent years.
With a blend of rising stars and experienced runners, Team Nigeria will be looking to light up the track in Guangzhou and possibly return home with medals — and valuable Olympic tickets. The countdown to May 10 is on, and fans across the country will be watching closely as the green-and-white takes on the world.
