Why Athlete Favour Ofili Wants to Dump Nigeria for Turkey
Nigerian sprint sensation Favour Ofili is seeking a change in national allegiance — and the reason isn’t far-fetched: repeated neglect and administrative blunders by Nigerian sports authorities.
The 22-year-old track star has officially notified the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) of her intention to represent Turkey, citing persistent failures by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and the Nigerian Olympic Committee (NOC) as the tipping point.
Ofili’s frustration reached its peak during the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Despite meeting the qualifying standard for the women’s 100m event, she was shockingly left out due to what was described as an administrative oversight — a repeat of the same mistake that denied her participation in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Sources close to the athlete say Ofili’s decision has been years in the making, driven by a lack of institutional support and mismanagement that have consistently jeopardized her career at the highest level.
Widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s brightest athletic prospects, Ofili boasts personal bests of 10.93 seconds in the 100m and 21.96 seconds in the 200m. Her move to represent Turkey could deal a significant blow to Nigeria’s sprinting future — and stands as a damning indictment of the system that failed her.
