Nigerian sprinter Favour Ofili, celebrated for her world-best 150m run of 15.85 seconds at the Adidas Atlanta City Games in May 2025, has switched her athletic allegiance to Turkey. The decision, formalized on May 31, 2025, comes after the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and the Nigerian National Olympic Committee (NOC) failed to register her for the 100m event at the 2024 Paris Olympics—marking the second time administrative negligence has cost her an Olympic appearance.
This latest setback follows a similar incident in 2021, when Ofili missed the Tokyo Olympics 200m due to the AFN and Nigerian Anti-Doping Committee’s failure to conduct timely tests, a blunder that also affected 13 other athletes.
According to the report, Ofili expressed her exasperation to the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), a move triggered by years of neglect. Compounding the issue, the same AFN leadership was re-elected in June 2025, raising questions about accountability in Nigerian sports governance.
A 2022 World Athletics report had previously flagged mismanagement in 40% of African federations, a statistic that now seems to resonate with Ofili’s experience.
Turkey’s appeal is clear: the country offers substantial Olympic medal bonuses, with $531,638 for gold in 2024, according to Türkiye Today data, compared to Nigeria’s lack of a formal payout system. This financial incentive, coupled with a promise of better support, appears to have influenced Ofili’s decision, though she has emphasized that her switch was not solely financially motivated. Her personal bests—10.93 seconds in the 100m and 21.96 seconds in the 200m—position her as a medal contender, making her a valuable asset for Turkey.
This move underscores deeper systemic issues in Nigerian sports administration, as detailed in a recent TheCable article calling for urgent reforms amid repeated failures, including cases like cyclist Ese Ukpeseraye borrowing a bike at Paris 2024.
As Ofili prepares to represent Turkey, her departure serves as both a personal triumph and a stark warning to Nigeria’s sports authorities, who risk losing more talent to nations offering better governance and support.
