By our reporter 20.2.2026.
Nigeria-born sprinter Favour Ofili said she needs to make the best out of her career and save for her future; a leverage she would not get representing Nigeria.
Ofili dumped Nigeria in 2025, and she is set to represent Turkey at the 2028 Olympic Games, but her switch continues to irk Nigerian officials. It was reported that the National Sports Commission of official are making moves to delay her wearing the colours of Turkey, because Ofili collected a $5000 training grant last year.
But Ofili explained that she left Nigeria because of frustrating set up saying: “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 was quoted by the Guardian.
“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.
“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.
“So, I had to run to save my career. It was never about the money. So many other athletes are still worried that these people could scuttle their progress in this sport.”
Ofili will open her 2026 campaign on Friday at the LSU Twilight meet at Carl Maddox Fieldhouse in Baton Rouge, marking her first appearance of the year ahead of the indoor post season.