Nigerian-born sprinter Favour Ofili has revealed that her decision to switch allegiance to Turkey was driven by a desire to secure her future, including marriage and starting a family.
The athlete, who dumped Nigeria in 2025 and is set to represent Turkey at the 2028 Olympic Games, stated that her career’s short lifespan necessitated the move.
Ofili’s switch has reportedly irked Nigerian officials, with the National Sports Commission allegedly attempting to delay her representing Turkey due to a $5000 training grant she received last year. However, Ofili maintains her departure was due to a “frustrating set up” within Nigerian sports.
Speaking to The Guardian, Ofili explained her rationale:
“Anybody can say anything, but I never heard that Onyali was denied the chance to compete in the Olympics by those who were supposed to look after her. It started in Japan when some of us were stopped from competing in the Olympics because some officials failed to do what they were paid to do. After that, there were no apologies, and people behaved as if nothing happened. I am a woman in a job that has a short lifespan. Soon, I will get married and start thinking of having babies. So, this is the right time for me to make good use of the time I have left in my career. So, I had to run to save my career. It was never about the money. So many other athletes are still worried that these people could scuttle their progress in this sport.”
Ofili is set to commence her 2026 campaign this Friday at the LSU Twilight meet at Carl Maddox Fieldhouse in Baton Rouge.
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