World Athletics has declined Favour Ofili’s request to switch her sporting allegiance from Nigeria to Turkey, frustrating the sprinter’s plan to represent a new country on the international stage.
The Athletics Federation of Nigeria revealed the decision on Thursday, noting that World Athletics’ nationality review panel rejected the application after examining the circumstances surrounding the proposed transfer.
In its findings, the panel raised concerns about the approach taken by the Turkish Athletics Federation, stating that it had been actively recruiting foreign athletes and promoting swift nationality changes for what it described as largely “mercenary” reasons.
Ofili was among 11 athletes included in a bulk application submitted by Turkey seeking approval for eligibility changes.
World Athletics warned that such actions could undermine the integrity of global competitions, stressing that they may weaken national development structures and push aside locally developed athletes in favour of imported competitors.
The 23-year-old sprinter began pursuing the nationality change in 2025 after publicly accusing Nigerian officials of mismanagement and hindering her career progression.
Ofili holds the national 200m women’s record with 21.96s and a personal best of 10.78s, performances she did in 2022.
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