Director General of the National Sports Commission, Hon. Bukola Olopade, has firmly dispelled the swirling rumours suggesting that elite Nigerian sprinter Favour Ofili has opted to switch allegiance to Turkey.
Speaking at a World Press Conference on Wednesday ahead of the Confederation of African Athletics U-18 and U-20 Championships in Abuja, Olopade, who also chairs the event’s Local Organising Committee, set the record straight, insisting there is no official documentation to support claims of a nationality change for the accomplished athlete.
“Favour Ofili is still representing Nigeria. She wrote to the NSC two months ago, reaffirming her commitment to compete for Nigeria,” Olopade stated.
“When I resumed as DG of NSC I called her personally and she confirmed her allegiance to Nigeria.”
Olopade emphasized that Ofili is actively involved in national sports development initiatives, revealing she was among 69 athletes who benefited from financial grants disbursed by the commission in April 2025.
“There has been no official communication from any international federation or national body indicating that she has switched allegiance. As far as the NSC is concerned, she remains a Nigerian athlete,” he reiterated.
His comments come amid growing speculation that Ofili, widely recognized as the women’s 150m world record holder and a key medal hopeful for Nigeria—was on the verge of transferring her sporting allegiance to Turkey.
The NSC has unequivocally denied these claims.
The rumoured development stirred concern across the Nigerian athletics community, particularly given Ofili’s stature. Athletics Federation of Nigeria President, Tonobok Okowa, admitted the federation may have fallen short in supporting her over the years, but expressed hope she would remain with Team Nigeria.
“If this is true, it is sad, disheartening and painful,” Okowa said.
“But we are yet to get any official statement from her or from World Athletics on her request. She is old enough to decide what’s best for her but it is painful and hard to take for us.”
Under World Athletics regulations, should Ofili choose to represent Turkey, she would be subject to a three-year waiting period before becoming eligible for international competitions under her new flag, having most recently competed for Nigeria at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
If the switch does happen, she would join a long list of Nigerian-born athletes who have gone on to represent other countries, including Francis Obikwelu (Portugal), Gloria Alozie (Spain), Florence Ekpo-Umoh (Germany), Femi Ogunode (Qatar), and Salwa Eid Naser (Bahrain).
There have been reports suggesting that the Turkish athletics federation is actively targeting international talent, allegedly offering generous financial packages to secure top-tier athletes.
Nonetheless, World Athletics continues to list Ofili as a Nigerian on its official website.
She remains one of several Nigerian athletes expected to compete at the upcoming World Championships in Tokyo, scheduled for September 13 to 21.
