Team Nigeria’s campaign at the 2026 World Relays in Gaborone, Botswana, has received a major blow as two key US-based sprinters, Rosemary Chukwuma and Blessing Ogundiran, will miss the competition due to circumstances beyond their control.
The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and the National Sports Commission (NSC) are working hard to resolve the issues, but time is not on their side as the event is scheduled for May 2 and 3, 2026, at the Botswana National Stadium.
Rosemary Chukwuma, who boasts a season’s best of 10.95 seconds this year, has been unable to join the team because her passport arrived late from the embassy, making timely travel to Botswana difficult.
Blessing Ogundiran, with a personal best of 10.98 seconds, is also unavailable. Her case stems from the ongoing process of her SRY gene test, which is required by World Athletics for biological sex verification. The sample was only recently collected, and results are not expected before the competition begins.
Christopher Maduewesi of Making of Champions, who is in Gaborone, confirmed the situation on Thursday:
“At the moment, both Rosemary Chukwuma and Blessing Ogundiran are out of the World Relays for Nigeria. Before we try to apportion blame, it was due to circumstances beyond everyone’s control — not that the athletes didn’t want to come, or that the federation didn’t try to get them here.”
He added that efforts are still being made by the AFN and NSC to get Chukwuma to Gaborone on time.
The absence of these two speedy athletes is a significant setback for Nigeria’s women’s 4x100m and mixed 4x100m relay teams. Both sprinters were expected to play crucial roles in what many hoped would be a strong showing for Team Nigeria.
With Chukwuma and Ogundiran sidelined, the women’s 4x100m team will now likely feature Jenifer Chukwuka, Miracle Ezechukwu, Rosemary Nwankwo, and Maria Omokwe.
The mixed 4x100m relay will depend on athletes such as Enoch Adegoke, James Emmanuel, Chidera Ezeakor, and Ezechukwu to step up.
The Nigerian contingent has already arrived in Gaborone and held training sessions. While the team is determined to put up a good performance across all six relay events, the late withdrawals have forced last-minute adjustments to the lineup.
Nigeria has a proud history in relay events at global competitions, and fans were hoping for another strong outing at this World Relays, which serves as an important qualifier and preparation event for major championships.
