Nigerian sprinter Favour Ofili has submitted a request to switch allegiance from Nigeria to Turkey, following neglect and administrative mishandling by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN).
Favour Ofili’s switch was publicly announced by Jamaica-based journalist Kayon Raynor on his X handle on Saturday, stating:
“Nigerian sprinter, Favour Ofili, has switched allegiance to Turkey as of May 31, 2025. According to TVJ News Centre sources, 22-year-old Ofili has advised the Athletics Integrity Unit of her frustration with the Nigerian Athletics Federation.”
However, yesterday, President of the AFN, Chief Tonobok Okowa, expressed the federation’s shock at Ofili’s decision to dump Nigeria.
“If this is true, it is sad, disheartening, and painful. But we are yet to receive any official statement from her or any correspondence from World Athletics (WA) regarding her request. She is a promising athlete with huge potential,” observed the AFN chief.
“The AFN and the National Sports Commission (NSC) have been working hard to revive athletics and other sports in the country. To show that both bodies are matching goals, objectives, and words with action, Favour Ofili had already been paid her training grant for this year,” Okowa revealed.
The chairman also said efforts to reach Favour after the Paris Olympic Games have not been successful:
“From the moves we have made to get her fully prepared and back into the athletics family, and from her responses, it’s clear she had been preparing and working on her newfound Turkish affiliation.
“She is old enough to decide what’s best for her, but it is painful and hard for us to take. However, we will not stop her — she is still our child, sister, and daughter,” the CAA Vice President stressed.
“We want to apologize to Nigerians, the National Sports Commission, and the millions of people around the world who hold the sport and the country in high esteem for this sad development.”
Recall that during the Paris Olympics last year, she called out the AFN for failing to register her for the 100m event. In response, the Athletics Federation of Nigeria claimed it had registered her, but the disappearance of her name from the final list remained a mystery. Although she later participated in the 2024 Paris Olympics in the 200m and the 4×100 m relay, she was omitted from the 100m event.
If she decides to proceed with the request, she will not be eligible to compete in any competitive tournament for three years, as World Athletics rules state that changing national allegiance requires sitting out of all competitions for that period.
