Nigerian sprint star Favour Ofili has officially changed her sporting nationality to Turkey, following years of frustration over what she described as persistent administrative lapses that twice denied her the chance to compete at the Olympic Games.
Ofili was first affected in 2021 when she was ruled ineligible for the 200m event at the Tokyo Olympics due to the failure of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and the National Anti-Doping Committee (NADC) to carry out mandatory tests.
She was among 14 Nigerian athletes disqualified as a result of the oversight.
According to respected athletics journalist Kenny Raynor (@kayraynor), the athlete initiated a formal complaint with the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) and began her nationality switch process on May 31.
The final tipping point reportedly came when the AFN and Nigerian Olympic Committee (NOC) failed to include Ofili’s name in the list of athletes for the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics, despite her having met the 100m qualifying standard.
Sources close to the sprinter revealed that her decision to switch allegiance stemmed from long-standing frustrations with Nigeria’s sports leadership and what she viewed as continued lack of accountability.
The situation escalated further in June 2025 when the current AFN leadership, previously blamed for several administrative blunders, was re-elected, deepening her disappointment and ultimately prompting her departure.
Ofili, who made headlines with her performances at Louisiana State University (LSU), was seen as one of Nigeria’s top prospects in the sprint events and a potential medal hopeful for Paris 2024.
