World Athletics Blocks Favour Ofili’s Switch to Turkey
World Athletics has rejected a request by Nigerian sprinter Favour Ofili to switch her sporting nationality to Turkey, halting her planned change of allegiance.
Officials cited existing eligibility and transfer regulations governing nationality switches, which require athletes to meet specific criteria, including waiting periods and approval from relevant national federations.
Under World Athletics rules, athletes seeking to compete for a new country must typically obtain clearance from their current federation—in this case, the Athletics Federation of Nigeria—and satisfy conditions related to residency or citizenship.
Sources indicate that procedural or regulatory requirements were not fully met, leading to the decision to block the switch at this stage.
The development means Ofili remains eligible to compete for Nigeria unless the issues are resolved or an appeal is successfully lodged.
Nationality changes in athletics have become increasingly scrutinised in recent years, with governing bodies tightening rules to prevent abuse of the system while balancing athletes’ rights to compete internationally.
