World Athletics (WA) has rejected the request by Nigerian sprinter Favour Ofili to change her national allegiance to Turkey.
The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) confirmed the decision in a statement on Thursday, citing WA’s national review panel ruling on the matter.
According to WA, the application was declined because it was part of a broader recruitment approach by the Turkish Athletics Federation aimed at encouraging athletes to switch nationality under questionable circumstances.
The body said the process undermines fair competition and discourages nations from developing homegrown athletes.
Ofili was among 11 foreign athletes whose nationality switch requests were presented by Turkey to WA.
In its decision, WA noted that such recruitment practices risk weakening national sports development systems while prioritising imported talent over local athletes.
READ ALSO:
- CAF Awards 2026 To Hold In Lagos
- Burna Boy, IGP Disu Explore Ways To Improve Police-Public Relations
- I Ended The Relationship After Discovering He Was Married – Actress Irewole Olaniyan Spills
- ECOWAS To Deploy Youth Observers For Nigeria’s 2027 Elections
- Madonna University Expels Nursing Student, Suspends 14 Over Viral TikTok Video
The athlete began proceedings to switch allegiance in 2025, following her public complaints about neglect and administrative failures within Nigerian athletics management.
Her career has previously been affected by administrative issues, including missing the Tokyo 2020 Olympics due to compliance oversights and being ruled out of the 100m event at the Paris 2024 Olympics after her name was reportedly not submitted on time by officials.