Favour Ofili Dumps Nigeria for Turkey Over Olympic Snub

Nigerian track star Favour Ofili has officially switched allegiance to Turkey after being denied the opportunity to compete in the women’s 100m event at the Paris 2024 Olympics — despite meeting qualification standards.

Ofili’s decision follows years of frustration with the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and the Nigerian Olympic Committee (NOC), which failed to register her for the Paris Games. This oversight mirrors a similar incident in 2021 when Ofili and 12 other Nigerian athletes were disqualified from participating in the Tokyo Olympics due to non-compliance with anti-doping testing protocols.

Sources confirm that Ofili began the process of changing nationality on May 31, 2025, formally informing the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) of her intent. In her correspondence, she emphasized that the move was not financially driven but rather a response to repeated administrative negligence by Nigerian sports authorities.

“I made this decision because I want to compete at the highest level and not be limited by constant mismanagement,” she reportedly told the AIU.

The 21-year-old sprinter holds personal bests of 10.93 seconds in the 100m and 21.96 seconds in the 200m, and most recently finished sixth in the 200m final at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Her switch marks a significant loss for Nigeria’s athletics prospects.

Adding to her frustration, the same AFN leadership responsible for the mishandling of her Olympic participation was re-elected in June 2025, dashing any hopes of reform in the federation.

Ofili’s departure has sparked renewed concerns about the state of athletics administration in Nigeria, with many critics warning that more talents could follow her lead if systemic issues are not addressed.