Olympic sprinter Favour Ofili has officially confirmed her
switch of allegiance from Nigeria to Turkey, citing years of frustration with officials from the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) over administrative failures that she says cost her two Olympic appearances.
"I'm starting a new chapter representing Turkey," Ofili, who ran for LSU Tigers, said in a statement on her Instagram page on Monday. "I am proud to have represented Nigeria for many years in a highly successful way.
"Having won six gold medals, two silver medals and two bronze medals in championship meets and experiencing the biggest disappointment from AFN and NOC for their negligence towards me in two Olympics (Tokyo and Paris), I have made this decision."
The switch was confirmed by AFN President Tonobok Okowa, who told ESPN: "They have officially informed us. Both World Athletics and the athlete herself."
However, Okowa claimed that contrary to Ofili's statement, her reasons for switching were purely financial and not due to the incompetence of Nigeria athletics officials.
"Ofili herself knows the whole truth," Okowa said. "This is all about money. Herself and her coach, they are trying to make some money. I don't see anything wrong with that, but as far as I am concerned, if she wants to go, it's okay. She's an adult but she should stop using these reasons as her excuse.
"Okay, the Kenyans and Jamaicans that are going to Turkey, what reasons do they have? Let her go in peace. She's an adult, she has the right to make her decision if she wants to switch allegiance or not."
The 22-year-old, who reached the 200-meter final at the Paris Games, said the move was not motivated by money despite reports Turkey offered her $500,000.
"This change comes from my heart, not from financial motives," she said.
Ofili was one of a number of Nigerian athletes who were excluded from the Tokyo Olympics due to the AFN's errors. Then, four years later, her name was not included in the 100m race, which left her in tears at the Paris Games.
Ofili said she received no compensation or apology from Nigerian officials for the missed opportunities. "They are all still in office. They said I was paid compensation. I got nothing from anyone at all, not even an apology," she said.
Okowa denied that the AFN was responsible for the Tokyo Olympics debacle, telling ESPN that the responsibility lay with the athlete: "As far as I am concerned, the first Olympics, she did not complete her out of competition test.
"And Nigeria cannot be held responsible. At that time, I was not even the president then, we just came in two weeks after. Her preparation was done by the former administration.
"But an athlete is supposed to fill her whereabouts, to enable the testing officers get to him or her. Unfortunately she did not complete her three out of competition tests, and that was why some of them were not allowed to compete. That is not the AFN's problem."
On not being entered for the 100m in Paris, Okowa said it was not the AFN's fault either, as they did what they were supposed to do: "The technical department said they put her name, and truly I was sure that her name was there.
"The list that I saw last that we signed off, her name was there. So I don't know where down the line that the name got missing in transit."
However, he argued that the athlete may not have performed well in the event anyway: "The other two athletes that were registered for the 100m, Tima Godbless and Rosemary Chukwuma, had better qualifying times. Ofili barely managed to qualify during our trials.
"Technically, she may not have been able to handle both of them. In the final race for the 200m, she was already tired, and was shutting down. It is possible that the technical department decided to give her just the 200m because it was decided that she would not be able to do both, but I doubt if that is what it was."
For now, World Athletics' website still lists Ofili as representing Nigeria. The governing body have previously confirmed receipt of four transfer applications from the Turkish federation -- including presumably Ofili's, but there has yet to be any official confirmation of approval from the Nationality Review Panel (NRP).
Under current rules, athletes must wait three years after their last competition for a country before competing for another nation, unless a waiver is granted for "exceptional circumstances" such as administrative negligence, the kind Ofili is citing.
Ofili confirmed that she will sit out this year's world championships in Tokyo while awaiting clearance.
She said: "While that means sitting out this year's championships in Tokyo, I'm truly grateful to have discovered a new home in Turkey."
By Colin Udoh,
ESPN
