Ajunwa Blames Poor Leadership for Athlete Exodus

Chioma Ajunwa-Oparah

Nigeria's first Olympic gold medalist, Chioma Ajunwa-Oparah, has attributed the growing trend of athletes switching nationalities to poor leadership within the Nigerian sports system.

Her remarks come in response to recent reports that top sprinter Favour Ofili has opted to represent Turkey instead of Nigeria.

Taking to her official X (formerly Twitter) account, Ajunwa stated:

“The Nigerian Sports Federation needs a lot of work. Losing Nigerian citizens to other countries like Turkey is a sign of bad leadership.”

She emphasized that the talent exodus is not limited to track and field:

“From athletics to football and other sports, we have amazing talents who end up winning medals while flying the flags of other nations.”

Ajunwa’s comments reflect growing frustration within the Nigerian sports community, where structural challenges, lack of athlete support, and governance issues continue to fuel concerns about the future of homegrown talent.

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