Favour Ofili, the track and field athlete, on Monday, confirmed her switch of nationality from Nigeria to Turkey.
The 22-year-old who runs 100m, 150m and 200m events
announced the switch via a post on her X handle.
Reports had surfaced in July that the Port Harcourt-born
athlete was set to change her nationality to the European country following
long-standing feud with the country’s athletics authorities.
I am proud to have represented Nigeria for many years in a highly successful way! Having won SIX gold medals, TWO silver medals and TWO bronze medals in championship meets and a 200 meter Olympic finalist while experiencing the biggest disappointment from AFN and NOC towards me.
— Favour Ofili (@FavOfili) September 1, 2025
Ofili could not participate at Tokyo 2020 Olympics due to
failure of Nigerian Olympic authorities to update her about the minimum
drug-testing requirement to compete at the event.
Another administrative error prevented Ofili from
representing Nigeria in the 100m event four years later at Paris 2024, with the
Athletics Federation of Nigeria failing to submit her name as at when due.
But in the series of tweets, Ofilli said she made the “big
decision” to switch allegiance due to the multiple negligence she has suffered.
“Wrapping up my 2025 season has been a whirlwind of new
experiences and big decisions. Racing back-to-back across amazing cities and
learning from the best has been incredible,” she wrote.
“As some of you have heard, I’m also starting a new chapter
representing Turkey.
“I am proud to have represented Nigeria for many years in a
highly successful way! Having won SIX gold medals, TWO silver medals and TWO
bronze medals in championship meets and a 200 meter Olympic finalist while
experiencing the biggest disappointment from AFN and NOC towards me. Negligence
towards me in Olympic (Tokyo/Paris). I have made this decision.”
The 2022 Commonwealth Games silver medalist also said
financial incentive was not behind her decision to switch allegiance to Turkey.
“While that means sitting out this year’s championship in
Tokyo, this change comes from the heart, not from financial motives. I’m truly
grateful to have discovered a new home in Turkey,” she added.
Ofili joins the list of high-profile former Nigerian athletes Gloria Alozie and Francis Obikwelu who abandoned Nigerian colours for Spain and Portugal respectively in the 2000s.
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