The National Sports Commission (NSC) has reaffirmed that sprint sensation Favour Ofili remains a Nigerian athlete, amidst swirling rumours suggesting she may have switched allegiance to Turkey.
Speaking at a world press conference held at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja, NSC Director-General, Bukola Olopade, firmly denied the speculation, clarifying that neither the athlete nor World Athletics had submitted any official correspondence to the NSC or the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) regarding a change of nationality.
Olopade stressed that Ofili was still committed to representing Nigeria on the global stage and was actively preparing for upcoming international competitions.
He also disclosed that Ofili is one of 69 foreign-based athletes who have already received their 2025 training grants.
“She remains a Nigerian athlete and continues to benefit from the support of the NSC and AFN,” he said.
In his dual capacity as Chairman of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) Under-18 and Under-20 Championships, Olopade also confirmed that Nigeria will field around 90 athletes across 85 events in the forthcoming championship to be held in Abeokuta.
The event is expected to attract more than 583 athletes from over 30 countries.
Editing by Muzha Kucha and Tony Okerafor
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