Nigeria’s athletics community was rocked over the weekend following reports that record-breaking sprinter, Favour Ofili, has switched her sporting nationality to Turkey, just three months before the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.

The 22-year-old Delta State-born athlete, who holds the world record in the 150m with a blistering time of 15.85 seconds, is now reportedly in line to earn as much as $500,000 (₦775 million) to compete under the Turkish flag.

The move, which has not yet been reflected on her World Athletics profile, marks a major blow for Nigerian athletics and raises concerns over the treatment of her top athletes in the country.

According to renowned sports journalist Jordan Forte, the Turkish Sports Ministry, not the Turkish Athletics Federation, is behind the high-stakes bid to recruit Ofili.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Forte says the agreement will only be fulfilled once she officially competes for Turkey.

The decision appears to be financially driven, but also rooted in frustration over Nigeria’s handling of her career.

Ofili’s reported $500,000 deal would make her one of the highest-paid athletes to make a national switch in recent history.

With Turkey seeking to become a dominant force at the Olympics, acquiring world-class talent like Ofili is part of a broader strategic push.

This switch could boost their medal chances, particularly in sprint events.

Ofili’s decision did not come out of the blue. In a series of revelations reported by Jamaica-based journalist Kayon Raynor, Ofili allegedly cited two major failures by Nigerian athletics authorities that influenced her move.

First, she missed the Tokyo 2020 Olympics after the Athletics Federation of Nigeria failed to confirm her required doping control tests, a critical administrative blunder, The Vanguard reports.

Then, at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Ofili, despite being in top form, was not entered into the 100m event by the Nigeria Olympic Committee.

She ended up running only in the 200m, finishing sixth in the final.

These repeated lapses appear to have shattered Ofili’s confidence in Nigerian sports administration and left her feeling sidelined and undervalued.

Though her World Athletics profile still lists her as a Nigerian, the clock is ticking.

The 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, scheduled for September 13–21, may be the global stage where Ofili debuts in Turkish colours, if the switch is finalised.

Ofili’s departure adds to the growing list of Nigerian athletes choosing to represent other countries due to mismanagement, poor support, or financial neglect.

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Nigerian sprinter Ofili has reportedly switched her allegiance to represent Turkey following multiple Olympics disappointments at the hands of Nigerian authorities.

Ofili was popularly denied the opportunity of racing in the 100 metres event of the Paris 2024 Olympics despite qualifying after the Athletics Federation of Nigeria did not register her.

She also missed out on participating at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics after the federation failed to submit her mandatory tests, thus leading to her disqualification.

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Source: Legit.ng