Top Nigerian sprinter Favour Ashe is on the verge of changing his sporting allegiance to Qatar, a development that has intensified conversations about the steady movement of athletes away from Nigeria.
According to TheGuardian, the speedster has already spent about five months in Qatar and is awaiting approval from World Athletics before completing the switch. Explaining his decision, Ashe said,
This is not to rubbish what Nigeria has done for us over the years, but I must say some of the people managing our sports do not have human feelings. Last year, I decided to take part in the National Sports Festival… but it turned out to be a wrong decision based on the way and manner the people treated me. It was like I was just begging to be part of Nigeria athletics. That is wrong.”
Ashe has long been regarded as one of the country’s most reliable track athletes. He anchored Nigeria’s 4x100m relay team to bronze at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and captured the 100m title at the national championships in 2022 with a 9.99-second finish, only the second sub-10 winning time in the competition’s history after Deji Aliu achieved the feat in 2003.
The sprinter also pointed to poor training infrastructure as a factor that slowed his progress while competing at home.
Taking my athletics to Nigeria was a bit setback. I was struggling to meet up in everything in training because the track was not up to standard. Now, I have completed my study in the United States, and I can no longer make use of the college facilities for training. I just have to move,” he noted.
He revealed that the Qatari federation has already provided exposure by taking him and other athletes to South Africa to kick off their season, an opportunity he believes has been lacking in his career. “This is something Nigeria has never done since I began my athletics career. I so much cherish this opportunity,” Ashe added, while expressing surprise at the number of Nigerian athletes currently training in Qatar with the aim of forming a formidable relay squad once their transfers are approved.
His anticipated switch follows a similar path taken by fellow sprinter Favour Ofili, who recently opted to represent Turkey. The trend has renewed scrutiny on the administration of athletics by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria and the National Sports Commission, amid complaints from athletes over limited support and inadequate preparation.
With more competitors reportedly exploring opportunities abroad, Ashe’s potential departure underscores mounting fears of a talent drain that could impact Nigeria’s future prospects on the global stage.
