Nigerian sprint sensation and 150m world record holder, Favour Ofili, has reportedly changed her nationality to Turkey, just months before the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
The news was made public on Saturday by Jamaica-based journalist Kayon Raynor via his X (formerly Twitter) account, citing sources from the TVJ News Centre. According to Raynor, the switch took effect on May 31, 2025, and was officially communicated to the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU).
Ofili, 22, is said to have made the decision due to ongoing frustrations with the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN). Among her complaints were administrative errors that denied her key opportunities on the global stage.
Raynor wrote that Ofili was left out of the Nigerian team for the 100m race at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and earlier missed the Tokyo 2020 Olympics after the AFN failed to confirm her doping test requirements.
“She was deeply disappointed by these issues and felt she wasn’t being treated fairly,” Raynor reported.
Although Turkey is known to offer generous financial packages—sometimes up to \$500,000—for athletes switching nationality, sources close to Ofili claim her decision was based more on professional growth than money.
Ofili now joins a growing list of top Nigerian athletes who have chosen to represent other countries, including Francis Obikwelu (Portugal), Gloria Alozie (Spain), and Femi Ogunode (Qatar), all of whom went on to win international medals.
Turkey, for its part, has continued to recruit elite athletes from Africa and the Caribbean in a bid to boost its medal chances in global competitions.
As of the time of this report, the Athletics Federation of Nigeria has not released an official statement regarding Ofili’s defection.
