Shock Move: Nigerian Sprint Star Favour Ofili Reportedly Dumps Nigeria for Turkey Ahead of 2025 World Championships

In a move that has sent shockwaves through the global athletics community and sparked furious debate back home, Nigeria’s sprint sensation and 150m world record holder, Favour Ofili, has reportedly switched allegiance to Turkey, just three months before the 2025 World Athletics Championships set to hold in Tokyo, Japan. The dramatic development was first revealed by Jamaica-based athletics journalist Kayon Raynor, and although it’s yet to be officially confirmed by World Athletics, multiple sources close to the athlete say the switch is as good as done.

Favour Ofili, 21, has been one of Nigeria’s most promising athletes in recent times, blazing the tracks with record-breaking performances and earning a reputation as one of the fastest women in the world over the 150m distance. Her rise to prominence brought hope to many Nigerians, who saw her as a potential gold medalist in upcoming global competitions, especially given her remarkable form in the indoor and outdoor seasons over the past two years. Her decision to now represent Turkey has come as a blow to Nigerian athletics, already grappling with a wave of talent drain, administrative failures, and athlete welfare issues.

Though the reasons for her shocking nationality switch have not been made public by Ofili herself, sports insiders are already pointing fingers at the long-standing dysfunction within the Nigerian athletics federation. Issues such as lack of funding, mismanagement of athletes, delayed payments, and poor competition planning have long plagued the Nigerian track and field scene. For many elite athletes like Ofili, who train and compete internationally, the allure of a system that offers stability, recognition, and consistent support often becomes too tempting to ignore. Turkey, known for aggressively recruiting foreign-born athletes to boost its athletic profile, has been quietly building its own track empire and appears to have successfully lured another gem.

Born in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Ofili began her sprinting career in Nigeria before gaining international attention during her college years in the United States, where she ran for Louisiana State University (LSU). There, she shattered multiple records and established herself as a force to be reckoned with. Her decision to choose Turkey over Nigeria at the peak of her career is likely to have wide-ranging consequences for both her career trajectory and Nigeria’s hopes in the forthcoming World Championships and Olympics.

Social media has exploded with reactions, with Nigerians expressing a mixture of disappointment, frustration, and understanding. Some fans blame the Nigerian sports authorities for pushing another athlete into the arms of another country due to negligence and incompetence. Others have defended Ofili’s decision, saying athletes have only one career and must do what’s best for their futures, especially in the absence of consistent support from home. “We have failed her, just like we failed Tobi Amusan before her big break,” one user wrote on X (formerly Twitter), while another said, “Nigeria has all the talent but none of the structure to retain them.”

For the Turkish Athletics Federation, however, the acquisition of Ofili is a major coup. It comes at a time when the country is investing heavily in sports development, not only through homegrown talent but also by strategically recruiting world-class athletes from Africa and Eastern Europe. The aim is clear: make Turkey a serious contender on the world athletics stage, especially in sprint events where it has traditionally lagged behind powerhouses like the United States, Jamaica, and Great Britain.

The timing of Ofili’s switch, just three months before the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, has further added to the intrigue. According to World Athletics rules, nationality changes for athletes typically require a waiting period, but it remains unclear whether Ofili will be granted a waiver or if her transfer process had been quietly ongoing behind the scenes for months. If cleared in time, she will likely make her debut for Turkey in Tokyo—wearing new colours but possibly breaking old records.

Nigerian athletics officials have yet to release a formal statement, but sources indicate that the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) is scrambling behind the scenes to confirm the news and possibly plead for a reversal. However, experts say that such last-minute interventions rarely succeed, especially if the athlete has already met all the legal requirements for the switch. Worse still, there are fears that Ofili’s move may encourage other frustrated Nigerian athletes to follow suit.

Ofili’s defection to Turkey may also have political and cultural implications, as sports have always been a source of national pride in Nigeria. Her records were celebrated as national achievements, and she was seen not just as an athlete but a symbol of what Nigerian youth could achieve with the right support. Her departure, therefore, is more than just a personal career decision—it’s a symbolic indictment of a broken system that continues to push its best and brightest away.

Some voices within Nigeria’s sporting community are now calling for urgent reforms. Veteran coach and former athlete Solomon Adebayo told reporters that “Ofili’s switch is a warning bell that we cannot ignore. If we don’t fix our house, we’ll keep losing athletes to other nations who are willing to do what we are not.” Others argue that until there is political will to invest in sports beyond lip service, the exodus will continue unabated.

Favour Ofili has yet to make a personal statement regarding the reported switch, but the silence may itself speak volumes. If confirmed, she will join the growing list of Nigerian-born athletes who now compete for other countries, a list that includes Qatar’s Femi Ogunode, Bahrain’s Edidiong Odiong, and Portugal’s Francis Obikwelu. Each departure tells its own story, but together, they paint a troubling picture of a system unable to retain its stars.

As the world waits for final confirmation and the possible unveiling of Favour Ofili as a Turkish athlete, the reality back home remains grim. A nation brimming with talent continues to watch helplessly as its brightest stars take flight, not just for greener pastures, but for systems that see them, support them, and believe in their dreams. Whether this will serve as a wake-up call or just another headline in Nigeria’s long history of athletic mismanagement remains to be seen. One thing is clear: Favour Ofili has made her move. And for Nigerian athletics, the loss may be as painful as it is telling.