Nigeria Wrestling Federation president, Hon. Daniel Igali, has appealed to United World Wrestling (UWW) after four Nigerian wrestlers were denied visas for the 2025 World Championships in Croatia.
Genesis Miessinne Mercy, Ogunsanya Tolulope Christianah, Ojo Damola Hannah, and Izolo Stephen Simon were refused entry despite meeting all accreditation and travel requirements.
Croatian authorities cited “doubts” over their intention to return to Nigeria, a decision the NWF condemned as unjust.
Mercy is one of Nigeria’s most decorated wrestlers, winning gold in the women’s 50kg at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and the 2020 African Wrestling Championships.
She also competed at the 2016 Rio Olympics and the 2022 World Wrestling Championships in Belgrade.
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Earlier this year, Stephen Simon Izolo ended Nigeria’s four-year wait for a men’s gold medal at the African Senior Wrestling Championships, defeating Tunisia’s Farouk Jellasi 5–2 in the 65kg freestyle final.
Ogunsanya also impressed at the same tournament, storming to the women’s 53kg gold after a dominant 10–0 semifinal win.
Igali, in his appeal to the UWW President, warned that excluding such athletes would be a huge blow to Nigeria’s medal hopes and to the principles of fairness and inclusivity in global sport.
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The World Championships take place in Zagreb from 13 to 21 September, with Nigeria’s contingent due to travel this weekend.
