By Victor Kanayo
There are indications that famous sprint star Favour Ofili is perfecting plans to switch her sporting nationality from Nigeria to Turkey.
This, according to reports, followed repeated administrative failures by Nigerian athletics bodies that cost her two Olympic appearances.
Administrative Blunder, Beginning of Switch Process, Denial
Recall that Ofili missed the Tokyo Olympics 200m after the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and the National Anti-Doping Committee (NADC) failed to get her tested in time, a mishap that also affected 13 other Nigerian athletes.
Now, an athletics reporter, Kenny Raynor, on Sunday via his X handle, disclosed that Ofili has already lodged a formal complaint with the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) and began the transfer process on May 31, 2025.
When Heritage Times HT contacted newly re-elected AFN President, Chief Tonobok Okowa, on the development, he said the Federation was yet to be notified on the purported new moves by Ofili.
Big Blow
Ofili’s switch to Turkey comes as a major blow to Team Nigeria’s sprint prospects, especially ahead of Paris 2024, where she was widely seen as a medal contender.
Despite emerging reports, Ofili is still listed on the World Athletics website as Nigerian as at the time of filing this report.
Switch Condition
After representing Nigeria at the Olympics in Paris, she would require a minimum window of three years before the switch in allegiance is completed.
It then means she will miss out on the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, Japan, and the 2026 edition in Beijing, China.
Ofili owns personal best times of 10.93secs and 21.96secs respectively in the 100m and 200m events.
Likely Reason for Athlete’s Decision
Another unconfirmed report has it that Turkey’s Sports Ministry spearheaded Ofili’s recruitment, offering her a $500,000 signing fee if she agreed to compete for Turkey.
Nigerian Track and Field Athletes Who Previously Switched Allegiance
Ofili’s defection follows a similar switch of allegiance by older athletes as Francis Obikwelu and Gloria Anozie.
Obikwelu and Anozie dumped Nigeria for Portugal and Spain respectively after having grievances with Nigerian sports administrators.
