Sprinter Favour Ofili has confirmed her decision to switch nationality from Nigeria to Turkey after years of frustration with athletics administrators at home.
The 22-year-old, who competes in the 100m, 150m and 200m events, announced the move on Monday through a post on her X handle.
Rumours about the switch had circulated since July, following reports of her strained relationship with Nigerian athletics authorities.
Ofili was among the athletes disqualified from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics after officials failed to meet drug-testing requirements. At Paris 2024, another administrative error by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) denied her entry into the women’s 100m event.
Explaining her decision, the Port Harcourt-born athlete wrote:
“I am proud to have represented Nigeria for many years in a highly successful way… but negligence towards me in the Olympics (Tokyo/Paris) made me take this decision. This change comes from the heart, not from financial motives.”
The 2022 Commonwealth Games silver medalist will sit out this year’s championship as part of the switch process.
Ofili now joins the ranks of high-profile athletes such as Gloria Alozie and Francis Obikwelu, who left Nigeria to compete for Spain and Portugal respectively in the 2000s.
