The 150m world record holder, Favour Ofili, has reportedly changed her international allegiance to Turkey, just three months ahead of the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
The 22-year-old sprinter, considered one of Nigeria’s top medal prospects, is believed to have grown disillusioned with the repeated administrative shortcomings of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and the Nigerian Olympic Committee (NOC).
Jamaican journalist Kayon Raynor first reported the news on X (formerly Twitter), revealing that Ofili officially informed the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) of her decision on 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”.
Kayon Raynor
Raynor further revealed that Ofili’s decision stemmed from lingering dissatisfaction with how the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) mishandled her Olympic ambitions. Ofili, who had been set to make her Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020, was deemed ineligible after the AFN failed to meet anti-doping testing requirements—a lapse that affected 13 Nigerian athletes.
Sources close to the situation stated that Ofili explicitly informed the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) that her choice was driven solely by the systemic frustrations she had endured across multiple Olympic cycles.
While the news has sparked disappointment among many, others have shown support for the sprinter, empathizing with her challenges and endorsing her right to pursue her career under more favorable circumstances.
Reacting to the development, Tonobok Okowa, President of the AFN, expressed surprise but affirmed that the federation would not oppose Ofili’s decision to represent another country.
“I was shocked by the reports, but we are yet to receive official correspondence from World Athletics. If she wants to leave, we cannot stop her,” Okowa said.