Nigerian sprinter Ofili switches allegiance to Turkey

Favour Ofili, a top Nigerian sprinter, has allegedly switched her allegiance to Turkey due to constant administrative failures by Nigerian athletics bodies.

Reportedly, she took this step after enduring years of mismanagement that hindered her career progress.

Ofili, who broke records in 2025 by running the 150m in under 16 seconds, has openly criticized Nigeria’s athletics administration.

Specifically, she missed the Tokyo 2021 Olympics because doping tests were not conducted on time.

This failure affected her and 12 other athletes unfairly.

Additionally, she qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympics but was excluded again due to administrative negligence.

Clearly, repeated errors by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and Olympic Committee forced her hand.

Consequently, Ofili began the process to switch allegiance on May 31, 2025.

Sources say she cited years of neglect in her formal complaint to the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU).

Her decision reflects deep frustration with Nigeria’s sports governance.

Moreover, the AFN’s leadership was re-elected in June 2025, likely confirming her choice to leave.

This trend is growing among African athletes who seek better-managed federations abroad.

Ofili’s departure is a major setback for Nigerian athletics, highlighting the urgent need for reform.

Without change, more talents may follow her example and leave for better opportunities.

So far, neither Ofili nor the AFN has officially commented.

However, her reported move to Turkey exposes the damaging effects of administrative incompetence in sports.

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