World Athletics has rejected an application by Nigerian sprinter Favour Ofili to change her sporting nationality to Türkiye, citing concerns over the integrity of international competition.
The decision, delivered by the governing body’s Nationality Review Panel, also affected 10 other foreign athletes whose applications were assessed collectively.
According to World Athletics, the requests were linked to a coordinated recruitment initiative by the Turkish Athletics Federation, aimed at attracting overseas athletes through financial incentives.
In a detailed statement, World Athletics said the strategy risked undermining key principles of its eligibility and transfer regulations, which are designed to protect the credibility of international athletics and promote the development of domestic talent within member federations.
“The panel found that the applications formed part of a coordinated recruitment strategy led by the Türkiye government… to attract overseas athletes through lucrative contracts,” the statement noted, adding that such an approach could compromise confidence in the fairness of national team representation.
As a result of the ruling, Ofili and the other affected athletes are not eligible to represent Türkiye in international competitions, including the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. However, the panel clarified that they may still compete in one-day meetings or road races in a personal or club capacity and may continue to live and train in Türkiye.
Ofili, 23, began the nationality switch process in 2025 following a series of disputes with the Athletics Federation of Nigeria. She had publicly criticised the federation for administrative lapses that adversely affected her career.
Notably, she missed the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games after Nigeria failed to meet mandatory drug-testing requirements on her behalf. A similar administrative oversight also ruled her out of the 100m event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games when her name was not submitted in time.
World Athletics emphasised that its Nationality Review Panel operates independently to ensure that all applications align with established regulations and uphold the integrity of the sport.