Favour Ofili's bid to switch her athletic nationality from Nigeria to Turkey has been rejected by World Athletics, which cited broader policy concerns in blocking the applications of 11 foreign athletes submitted by the Turkish Athletics Federation. The decision was not influenced by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, according to AFN spokesperson Maxwell Kumoye, who clarified that reports suggesting Nigeria opposed the switch were inaccurate. Speaking with TheCable on Friday, Kumoye explained that World Athletics made its determination based on independent findings, not input from any national federation. Ofili was among four Jamaicans, five Kenyans, one Ukrainian, and one Nigerian whose requests were uniformly denied. The global governing body's national review panel stated the rejections were grounded in four criteria focused on protecting athlete development systems in home countries. World Athletics emphasized the importance of encouraging talent development locally, maintaining opportunities for homegrown athletes, and ensuring fairness in international competition. Kumoye noted that Ofili's case was treated no differently from the others, as all were rejected for the same stated reasons. The Turkish Athletics Federation had submitted the batch of applications for approval, but none were granted. No appeal timeline or reconsideration date was provided in the ruling. The process remains closed until further notice from World Athletics.
World Athletics' rejection of Favour Ofili's switch was not a Nigeria-led block but part of a wider move against bulk nationality transfers to Turkey. The decision applies equally to athletes from Jamaica, Kenya, and Ukraine, exposing a systemic gatekeeping policy rather than a targeted action. If Nigeria had truly opposed the move, it could have formally objected — but no such objection was recorded. The real story is not resistance from Lagos but resistance from Monaco: World Athletics is policing talent migration more tightly, regardless of origin.
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