Why Favour Ofili can't run for Turkey at the 2028 Olympics

Here is why the World Atheltics federation rejected the request of Favour Ofili to switch her alligiance from Nigeria to Turkey.

Nigerian sprint star Favour Ofili has hit a major setback in her quest for a fresh start. World Athletics (WA) has officially rejected Favour's application to switch national allegiance from Nigeria to Turkey, effectively grounding her plans to represent a new flag on the international stage.

The decision, handed down by the WA Nationality Review Panel, didn't just affect Ofili; it also dismissed the applications of 10 other foreign athletes seeking to join the Turkish ranks.

World Athletics was blunt in its assessment of why the switch was denied. The panel concluded that these applications were part of a "coordinated recruitment strategy" spearheaded by the Turkish government.

According to the ruling, Turkey was utilizing a government-financed club to offer lucrative contracts to overseas athletes.

Key reasons for the rejection included:

• Integrity of Sport: The move was seen as undermining the credibility of international competition.

• Homegrown Talent: WA aims to encourage federations to invest in their own domestic athletes rather than "importing" ready-made stars.

• Authentic Connection: The panel found the applications lacked a genuine, non-financial connection between the athletes and the Turkish nation.

Why did Ofili want to leave?

For the 23-year-old Ofili initiated the transfer process in 2025 following years of public friction with the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN).

Her career has been marred by high-profile organizational failures:

1. Tokyo 2020 Olympics: Ofili was barred from competing because Nigeria failed to meet mandatory out-of-competition drug-testing requirements for its athletes.

2. Paris 2024 Olympics: In a repeat of administrative negligence, her name was not submitted for the 100m event despite her qualification, leaving her unable to compete in one of her primary disciplines.