In a major blow to Nigerian athletics, 22-year-old sprinter Favour Ofili has reportedly switched her allegiance to Turkey, effective May 31, 2025.

Ofili, who placed sixth in the 200m final at the 2024 Paris Olympics, cited frustration with the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) as her reason for the move. She had previously lodged complaints with the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) over the AFN’s alleged mismanagement of her career.

Sources say two incidents led to her defection: her exclusion from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics due to the AFN’s failure to verify her doping control tests, and her omission from the 100m event at the 2024 Paris Games.

Reports also suggest Turkey’s Sports Ministry lured her with a $500,000 signing bonus.

AFN President Chief Tonobok Okowa declined to confirm the defection. “We are trying to verify if it’s true,” he said in a terse response.

Ofili joins the ranks of Nigerian athletes who have defected due to poor administration—most notably Francis Obikwelu and Gloria Anozie, who switched allegiance to Portugal and Spain respectively.