Rising Nigerian sprint sensation Favour Ofili has formally applied to the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) to change her national allegiance to Turkey.

At just 22 years old, Ofili cites repeated administrative mishandling by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and the Nigerian Olympic Committee (NOC) as the reason behind her decision.

It would be recalled that Ofili narrowly missed competing in the women’s 100m at the 2024 Paris Olympics, despite meeting the qualifying standard. Her name was never submitted by AFN and NOC, a repeat of the administrative blunder that also kept her out of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

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In July 2024, Ofili reacted strongly after discovering the omission: “It is with great regret that I have just been told I will not be competing in the 100 metres … I qualified, but those with the AFN and NOC failed to enter me.”

A federal panel later indicted two AFN officials for the oversight.

Despite these setbacks, Ofili remains one of Africa’s fastest sprinters, boasting personal bests of 10.93s in the 100m and 21.96s in the 200m. She further solidified her calibre by clocking 15.85s to break the world record in the rarely contested 150m at the 2025 Adidas Atlanta City Games.

Her request to the AIU, submitted this month, emphasises the repeated failures of Nigerian authorities and signals her search for a more supportive athletic environment. If approved, the switch would allow her to represent Turkey in upcoming international competitions under World Athletics rules.

Ofili’s potential move underscores deeper issues within Nigerian sports administration, highlighting how bureaucratic errors can derail international athletic careers. As one Reddit commentator summed it up: “To be left off the team a second time? That’s very suspicious.”