World Athletics has rejected Favour Ofili’s bid to change her sporting nationality from Nigeria to Turkey, dealing a blow to the sprinter’s attempt to compete under a new flag.
The decision, disclosed Thursday by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, followed a review by World Athletics’ nationality panel, which dismissed the application over concerns about how the transfer was initiated.
According to the ruling, Turkish Athletics Federation was found to be aggressively recruiting foreign athletes and encouraging rapid nationality switches for what the panel described as largely “mercenary” motives.
Ofili was among 11 athletes put forward by Turkey in a batch submission seeking eligibility changes.
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World Athletics warned that such practices threaten the credibility of international competition, arguing they weaken national development systems and risk sidelining homegrown athletes in favour of imported talent.
The 23-year-old sprinter began pursuing the switch 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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