Nigerian sprinter Favour Ashe has not submitted any official application to switch his international allegiance to Qatar, despite widespread reports suggesting he has decided to represent the Middle Eastern nation, Trybal News reports.
Speculation about Ashe’s future emerged earlier this month after comments he made regarding Qatar’s training arrangements in South Africa. Reports claimed the 23 year old had opted to leave Nigeria and was already aligning with the Qatari athletics system.
He is also said to have been joined in Qatar by fellow Nigerian sprinter Sunday Akintan, who recently impressed during the indoor season with a time of 6.48 seconds. Other athletes, including some expected to feature in Nigeria’s Commonwealth Games camp in Asaba, have also been linked with potential switches.
However, World Athletics has confirmed that no formal request has been filed by Ashe or any other Nigerian athlete seeking a change of nationality. Responding to an inquiry, Maggie Durand, Head of Communications at World Athletics, stated that the governing body had not received any application.
“We can confirm that no application has been received,” Durand told The PUNCH.
Under World Athletics regulations, any athlete who applies to change allegiance must observe a mandatory three year waiting period before representing their new federation in international competitions.
“It should be noted that, should the application be successful, there is a standard three-year waiting period before an athlete can represent their new member federation,” World Athletics previously told The PUNCH.
“We remain committed to ensuring that all transfers of allegiance are conducted fairly, transparently and in the best interests of the sport.”
If Ashe eventually files for a switch, his eligibility timeline would be calculated from 2025, as he competed at the National Sports Festival in Abeokuta last May. That would potentially rule him out of representing another country until after the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Ashe has acknowledged spending about five months in Qatar, although the Athletics Federation of Nigeria has not issued any official statement regarding his status. The sprinter recently shared an image of himself wearing Qatar’s kit, further fueling speculation.
“The Qatar federation is taking us to South Africa to begin our season there. This is something Nigeria will never do,” Ashe was quoted as saying by The Guardian Nigeria.
“There are many young Nigerians in the Qatari team training for the Olympics and they are well catered for.
“Those who have the opportunity to leave are not looking back; soon, Nigeria will be hit by an exodus of athletes. Some are even ready to run for other African countries that can offer them good compensation and opportunities to compete all year round in events that appeal to them.”
On the track, Ashe remains one of Nigeria’s most accomplished sprinters in recent years. He holds a personal best of 9.94 seconds in the 100 metres, placing him joint sixth on Nigeria’s all time list alongside Davidson Ezinwa. In 2022, he clocked a wind assisted 9.79 seconds at the LSU Invitational in Baton Rouge, the fastest time ever recorded by a Nigerian under all conditions.
He ran 9.96 seconds at the 2023 NCAA Championships in Texas and improved to 9.94 seconds at the 2024 NCAA East Regional Finals in Lexington, Kentucky, becoming the first Nigerian to run under 10 seconds five times across three consecutive years. Ashe also finished runner up in the 100 metres at the 2024 NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon, posting 9.99 seconds in the final.
For now, despite the rumours and public comments, no formal process has begun regarding a switch of allegiance, leaving Ashe officially eligible to continue representing Nigeria.
