Top Nigerian sprinter Favour Ashe switches allegiance to Qatar

Favour Ashe, Nigeria’s seventh-fastest man in history over 100 metres, has announced his decision to transfer his international allegiance to Qatar, citing poor treatment, inadequate facilities, and limited opportunities in Nigeria as key reasons for the move.

The sprinter, whose personal best of 9.94 seconds places him among Nigeria’s elite, confirmed on Monday that he has been training in Qatar for the past five months and expressed confidence in contributing to a strong Qatari 4x100m relay team.

“I was not treated properly at the 2025 National Sports Festival,” Ashe said. “Those managing athletics in Nigeria showed no human feeling. Returning my career to Nigeria was a setback. I struggled to train due to substandard track facilities, and having completed my studies in the United States, I could no longer access college training facilities.”

He added: “I am very sure we will form a formidable 4x100m relay team for Qatar,” noting the surprisingly large number of young Nigerian athletes already training in the Gulf nation.

The transfer still requires approval from World Athletics. Under existing rules, Ashe faces a three-year waiting period from his last competition representing Nigeria, meaning he will not be eligible to compete for Qatar until after 2027 unless an exception is granted.

Ashe’s switch follows a broader trend of Nigerian athletes moving abroad due to challenges in the domestic system, including poor infrastructure, inconsistent funding, and administrative issues. Another recent example is sprinter Favour Ofili, who switched her allegiance to Turkiye.

The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) has stated it was not previously aware of Ashe’s move. AFN President Tonobok Okowa said the federation would begin investigating athletes’ statuses from Monday. “I don’t know either. I just saw the news as well, but we will investigate that beginning tomorrow,” Okowa told Newsmen.