Nigerian Sprinter, Favour Ofili to Switch Allegiance to Turkey After Repeated Nigerian Athletics Federation Failures

Nigerian sprint star Favour Ofili is seeking to transfer her sporting allegiance to Turkey, citing years of negligence and mismanagement by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), TVJ News Centre reported.

The decision follows an administrative error that resulted in Ofili being excluded from the 100m event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games despite meeting the qualification standard.

This marks the second consecutive Olympic Games the 21-year-old will miss due to failings by Nigerian athletics authorities.

Ofili, who boasts personal bests of 10.93 seconds in the 100m and 21.96 seconds in the 200m, began the transfer process on May 31st, shortly before the same AFN leadership was controversially re-elected in June.

Sources close to the matter confirmed that Ofili submitted a formal complaint to the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), highlighting the sustained neglect and inadequate administrative support that led to her decision.

At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, she was barred from competing in the 200m after the AFN and the Nigerian Anti-Doping Committee (NADC) failed to confirm the required number of doping control tests. That error disqualified Ofili and 13 other Nigerian athletes from the Games—an incident that drew international criticism.

Tack and field journalist Kayon Raynor reported that Ofili pointed out her decision to represent Turkey was not financially motivated. Instead, she emphasised the emotional and professional toll of being repeatedly let down by her home federation, particularly after years of commitment and performance at the highest levels of global athletics.

Ofili has been one of Nigeria’s most promising sprint talents in recent years, reaching the 200m final at the World Championships, where she finished 6th.

Her move also raises questions about broader systemic issues within Nigerian sports administration, where repeated allegations of incompetence and poor athlete support hinder performance on the world stage.

However, World Athletics still lists Ofili as a Nigerian athlete, and she remains among those who have qualified for the upcoming World Championships scheduled from September 13 to 21 in Tokyo.

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