FAVOUR Ofili, who shocked Nigeria’s athletics watchers when she announced her decision to switch allegiance to Turkey last year, has explained that she made the move to save her career.

The former Nigerian number one women’s sprinter confirmed her switch of allegiance from Nigeria to Turkey last year, citing years of frustration with officials from the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and the Nigerian Olympic Committee (NOC) over administrative failures that she said cost her two Olympic appearances.
She joined the growing Turkish team, whose goal, according to officials, is to assemble a strong team to compete for honours in both the 100 and 400 metres women’s relays.

Recently, Olympic medallist and Africa’s former number one sprinter, Mary Onyali, revealed that she was tempted by such European countries as France and Sweden to switch allegiance to them during her prime, but she rejected the offers because of her love for Nigeria.

However, Ofili said that the circumstances were different, adding that Onyali “was never denied the opportunity to compete in any competition after working hard to qualify for it.”

Speaking through her coach, Dennis Shaver, on Wednesday, Ofili said she decided to leave Nigeria to save her career.

“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,” Ofili said. “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.

“They did the same thing to me at the Paris 2024 Games when I was not registered for my race, even when I had laboured to qualify for it.

“They set up a panel to unravel the circumstances that led to that error, but nothing happened afterwards. The same officials were given a fresh mandate to continue with their blunder.

“So, I had to run to save my career. It was never about the money. So many others are still worried that these people could scuttle their progress in this sport,” she said.

Ofili said that she considered several things before deciding to switch allegiance to Turkey.

“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.”

In his response to the insinuations that Ofili’s move was driven by anything other than the painful experiences she has endured, Shaver said perhaps people may not fully appreciate what it feels like for an athlete to dedicate years of hard work, sacrifice, and discipline—only to have the opportunity to compete at the Olympic Games slip away due to administrative negligence.

He said that he has always encouraged his athletes of Nigerian origin to proudly represent the country, adding, “Even now, I strongly support athletes like Rosemary Chukwuma, Tima Godbless, Ella, and others to continue to compete for Nigeria.

“My commitment has gone beyond words—I have worked collaboratively with the AFN Performance Director and the Athletes’ Liaison, Victor Okorie, to help organise relay opportunities to secure qualification for major championships, including discussions about hosting Nigeria’s relay teams at one of his outdoor meets. My heart has always been with seeing Nigerian athletes succeed under the Nigerian flag.”

He maintained that unless someone has walked through the exact pain and disappointment Ofili experienced, it may be difficult to fully understand the weight of her choice.