Sprint star Favour Ofili, has confirmed she will now represent Turkey, bringing an end to her international career with Nigeria, www.aclsports.com reports.
The announcement comes a day after the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) named its 15-member squad for the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, with Ofili notably missing from the list.
The 22-year-old, who holds the Nigerian women’s 200m record at 21.96s, announced the decision on her social media pages.
“I am proud to have represented Nigeria for many years in a highly successful way. Having won six gold medals, two silver medals and two bronze medals in championship meets, and being a 200m Olympic finalist, while experiencing the biggest disappointments from AFN and NOC for their negligence towards me in two Olympics (Tokyo and Paris), I have made this decision,” Ofili wrote.
She added: “While that means sitting out this year’s championship in Tokyo, this change comes from the heart, not from financial motives. I’m truly grateful to have discovered a new home in Turkey. I’m excited for what’s ahead and grateful for all the support I got from my coach, agent, sponsor @adidas and my loved ones during this difficult time.”
Ofili’s switch means she will not compete at the World Championships in Tokyo but will be eligible to run for Turkey from 2027.
She represented Nigeria at major global events including the 2019 Youth Olympics, World Championships in Doha and Budapest, the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, multiple African Championships, and the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Attention now turns to how she adapts to her new environment, with Turkey set to benefit from her speed and experience in the years to come.
