World Athletics has rejected an application by the Türkiye Athletics Federation to secure the nationality allegiance of Nigerian sprinter Favour Ofili ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games.
The decision, issued on April 16, 2026, by the Nationality Review Panel, means the 23‑year‑old athlete will not be eligible to represent Türkiye at major international competitions.
According to the decision obtained by TVC News, the Panel ruled that the application submitted by the Türkiye Athletics Federation would not be approved after reviewing the circumstances surrounding the request.
The panelists including Donna Raynor, Cydonie Motherskill and Susanne van Waert, said granting the request would undermine key regulatory principles guiding international athletics.
The Panel pointed that the move forms part of a wider government‑led recruitment strategy in Türkiye, designed to attract overseas talent with lucrative contracts, stressing that it threatens the integrity of global competitions.
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“The eleven applications form part of a recruitment strategy led by the Türkiye government to recruit overseas talent by offering lucrative club‑level contracts to induce transfers of allegiance and ensure the athletes become eligible to represent Turkey at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games,’ the decision stated.
Ofili, who last represented Nigeria at the Paris 2024 Olympics, was granted Turkish citizenship in May 2025.
She argued that the move was motivated by disputes with the Nigerian Athletics Federation, which she said failed her at two Olympic Games, and by personal safety concerns.
The transfer aims to protect her sports career and mental health following disputes with the Nigerian Athletics Federation and personal safety concerns,’ the Panel noted from her testimony.
