The President of the Nigerian Wrestling Federation (NWF), Daniel Igali, has petitioned the United World Wrestling (UWW) over Croatia’s refusal to grant entry visas to the country’s athletes and their managers ahead of 2025 World Championships billed for Zabgeb.

Igali, in the letter made available to The Guardian, said that the four top wrestlers, Genesis Mercy, Ogunasanya Christiana, Ojo Damola Hannah and Izolo Simon, as well as their managers, have been denied visas by Croatian authorities despite fulfilling all requirements for accreditation and travel.

“This development has sparked concerns about fairness and equality in international sports,” he said. According to Igali, the reasons cited by the Croatian authorities for “the 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 recognised by United World Wrestling, and fully funded by their government.

He described the decision as not only bewildering, but profoundly unfair because the affected athletes are not unknown or unproven competitors.
Igali said: “Ojo Damola Hannah and Izolo Stephen Simon both won their first African titles this year, while 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.”

He told the world body that the Nigerian delegation is scheduled to depart for Zagreb tomorrow, adding: “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.”