Nigerian sprinter and 150m world record holder, Favour Ofili, has reportedly dumped Nigeria to represent Turkey, just three months before the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
Favour Ofili’s reported switch of allegiance was first reported by Jamaica-based journalist, Kayon Raynor, who revealed on social media platform 𝕏 that the 22-year-old completed her nationality switch as of May 31, 2025.
“Nigerian sprinter Favour Ofili has switched allegiance to Turkey as of May 31, 2025. According to impeccable TVJ News Centre sources, 22-year-old Ofili has advised the Athletics Integrity Unit of her frustration with the Nigerian Athletics Federation,” Raynor posted as quoted by Punch.
Ofili is said to have cited multiple administrative failings by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), including her omission from the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games due to unresolved doping test confirmations and her non-registration for the 100m event at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Recall that during the 2024 Olympics, Ofili could only run in the 200m in Paris, where she finished sixth in the final.
The LSU alum reportedly clarified to the Athletics Integrity Unit that her decision was not financially motivated.
However, observers note that Turkey has aggressively recruited top-tier athletes in recent months, with reports suggesting they offer up to $500,000 to entice stars from other nations.
Ofili, who remains listed as a Nigerian athlete on the World Athletics database at the time of this report, recently made global headlines at the Adidas Atlanta City Games in May.
During the event, she smashed the 150m world record with a time of 15.85 seconds, eclipsing the previous record of 16.23 seconds set by Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo.
At the time of writing, Favour Ofili had yet to make an official statement concerning the alleged switch of allegiance.
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