World athletics governing body World Athletics has slammed the brakes on Favour Ofili’s controversial bid to switch allegiance from Nigeria to Turkey.
The decision, announced by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria on Thursday, followed a review by WA’s national panel, which rejected the application amid concerns over Turkey’s recruitment tactics.
According to the ruling, the move was part of efforts by the Turkish Athletics Federation to “induce recruited athletes to switch nationality abruptly and primarily for mercenary reasons.”
Ofili was among 11 foreign athletes put forward by Turkey in a mass application for nationality switch, a move World Athletics warned could damage the credibility of global competitions.
The body stressed that such recruitment strategies undermine the integrity of national representation and discourage countries from nurturing their own athletes, while also risking the displacement of local talents by imported competitors.
The 23-year-old sprinter had initiated the switch process in 2025 after publicly accusing the AFN of neglect and actions that hindered her career.
Her frustrations date back to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where she was unable to compete due to Nigeria’s failure to notify her of mandatory drug-testing requirements.
History appeared to repeat itself at the Paris 2024 Olympics, as another administrative lapse by the AFN reportedly saw her name omitted from the 100m event registration.
