Former President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, Solomon Ogba, has applauded World Athletics for rejecting Favour Ofili’s request to switch allegiance to Turkey, describing the decision as a major win for Nigeria and other developing nations.

READ ALSO: ‘We Want Her Back’ AFN Opens Door For Ofili — Okowa Hails World Athletics Decision As Victory For Nigeria

Reacting to the ruling by the World Athletics Review Panel, Ogba did not hide his satisfaction.

“It’s a victory for Nigeria,” he said.

According to him, the decision sends a strong message against the growing trend of wealthier countries recruiting athletes who were developed elsewhere.

“It’s unfair,” he implied.

Ogba argued that nations like Nigeria invest significant time, effort, and resources into discovering and nurturing talents, only for those athletes to be lured away when they reach elite levels.

“We do the work, others reap the rewards,” he noted.

For the former AFN boss, such practices undermine the development of sports in less financially powerful countries, creating an imbalance in global competition.

“It discourages investment,” he stressed.

He praised World Athletics for taking a firm stance, suggesting that the decision will help protect the interests of developing nations and encourage them to continue building their sports programs.

“This is important for the future,” he added.

Ogba also questioned the ethics behind aggressive recruitment strategies, insisting that international sport should be built on fairness and respect.

“There must be limits,” he emphasized.

As the debate over athlete allegiance continues, the ruling is likely to have far-reaching implications for how countries approach talent development and recruitment.

For Ogba, the message is clear.

Protect your investment.

Protect your athletes.

Because in sport, fairness matters just as much as performance.

The post ‘It’s A Victory For Nigeria’ Ogba Praises Decision — Slams ‘Poaching’ Of Athletes By Wealthy Nations appeared first on Sports247 Nigeria.

The Athletics Federation of Nigeria has officially welcomed sprint sensation Favour Ofili back into its fold, signaling a fresh chapter in the relationship between the athlete and the federation.

AFN President Tonobok Okowa expressed delight over Ofili’s return, emphasizing the need for unity and encouragement around one of Nigeria’s brightest track talents.

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According to Okowa, the focus now should be on providing the right environment for the 100m and 200m star to thrive, stressing that what she needs most from stakeholders is “love, support, encouragement and more love.”

The federation’s stance comes at a crucial time for Nigerian athletics, as it looks to rebuild trust and strengthen its athlete relations ahead of major international competitions.

Ofili’s return is expected to boost Nigeria’s sprint prospects, with the AFN hopeful that renewed backing from officials, fans, and the athletics community will help her reach her full potential on the global stage.

The Nigerian sprint star Favour Ofili was denied approval to switch allegiance to Türkiye after a ruling by World Athletics.

The decision followed a review of her application alongside ten others submitted by the Türkiye Athletics Federation, all linked to a government-backed recruitment drive ahead of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

Why it was rejected:
World Athletics ruled that the transfer was part of a wider strategy to recruit foreign athletes with lucrative contracts, which:

* Undermines the integrity of national competitions
* Discourages countries from developing homegrown talent
* Risks replacing local athletes with imported competitors

Despite considering her personal situation, including her participation at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the panel concluded that approving the move would compromise these core principles.

Ofili remains eligible to compete for Nigeria but cannot represent Türkiye in international events.

The post World Athletics Blocks Ofili’s Switch to Türkiye, as AFN Welcomes Back Athlete appeared first on Sports247 Nigeria.

Chet Sainsbury would have celebrated his 84th birthday on the weekend (Sunday 12 April) and might have had a lump in his celestial throat had he looked down on proceedings at the 2026 Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon, powered by BYD.

The legendary sports administrator would have been delighted that his widow Annemarie, who was the first professional administrator to serve at the Two Oceans, had been invited to present the Ultra-marathon winners’ trophies to Arthur Jantjies and Gerda Steyn at the prize-giving ceremony on Saturday.

He would also have given a nod of approval to the organisational standards achieved by the Two Oceans staging partner, Stillwater Sports, in just six months.

Inviting Annemarie Sainsbury to present the trophy was one of several references to past Two Oceans memories and traditions, highlighted this year Stillwater working in conjunction with the Two Oceans Board.

The return of the Two Oceans Marathon tradition of sounding the fish horn to signal the start of the race was one example. And remembering the legendary era of Two Oceans organisational excellence under Team Sainsbury was another.

Runners who had completed ten, twenty, thirty and even forty Two Oceans ‘Voyages’ over the years enjoyed the opportunity to relive memories at the Blue Number Club dinner before the weekend. Many of those included tales of the Sainsbury days, triggered by the recognition of signs that the Oceans was returning to the days of organisational excellence which had characterised its earlier years.

Chet Sainsbury had moved seamlessly into leadership once he had ended his rugby career as a fiery loose forward for Villagers, soon becoming chairperson of the rugby club.

It was as well for athletics and road running that Sainsbury chose to represent Villagers, which club shared their Brookside grounds and facilities with Celtic Harriers, founding club for the Two Oceans Marathon.

Chet and Annemarie happened to be at the Villagers grounds at Brookside and watched Natalian Derek Preiss lead a field of 185 finishers across the line in the 1975 Two Oceans. That triggered his interest in the sport and he soon took over the reins of Celtic’s other big road race – the Peninsula Marathon.

Harold Berman, another legend of the Two Oceans who had been involved in every race since it’s inauguration in 1970 until illness kept him from this year’s event, was club secretary at Celtics at the time.

“Chet Sainsbury had excelled as Race Director of the Peninsula Marathon for two years,” Berman recalled recently. “When I heard that Chris Roux was standing down (as Two Oceans Race Director) I went to Chet and told him that he would have to take over Two Oceans.

“The administration of the Two Oceans started out in the Sainsbury’s lounge – all the papers and files were there before being moved to a pre-fabricated mobile building at Brookside.”

Chet’s wife, Annamarie, had been involved from the start as race secretary before she was appointed as Race Administrator, the first full-time Two Oceans official, and she served Two Oceans for 21 years. They made a formidable team. 

A highly principled and hard-working man, Chet was not one to bend to popular demand.  He did not easily tolerate fools and ensured teams under his leadership achieved excellence in all their endeavours, resulting in road running races which were seldom surpassed in organisational excellence.

Chet hand-picked a few people to strengthen the Two Oceans in key areas. Marketing, media and sponsorships required attention and Stefanie Schultzen’s remarkable skill set in those areas took the Two Oceans to new heights during her tenure.

In 2005 she delivered the powerful tag-line, ‘The World’s Most Beautiful Marathon’ and introduced the International Friendship Run in 2007, one of the event’s most successful initiatives. Later, the popular #RunAsOne and ‘Designed to Run’ campaigns, the latter as part of Cape Town’s World Design Capital season in 2014, were part of the Schultzen-Sainsbury legacy.

“In addition to the professional team, Chet led a group of outstanding volunteers on the Two Oceans committee,” Berman continued. “They respected him completely and would do almost anything for him.  Once he decided to stand down, most of them also withdrew from the committee.”

Chet’s best qualities came to the fore in a crisis, and his leadership rescued the Two Oceans from disaster on more than one occasion, having to overcome gale force winds (which destroyed the substantial start and finish infrastructure), floods which threatened the integrity of the course and unseasonably hot weather at various times. No race was ever cancelled.

Each time Chet’s calm and firm direction turned around the situation which had threatened calamity.

By the time Chet Sainsbury stepped down from Oceans Directorship after the 2007 event, the 56km race had attracted almost 10 000 entries, while the half marathon, introduced in 1998, had grown to close on 8000. He had set new standards in road running administration and taken the sport to new levels.

Chet continued to take part in the Ultra-marathon and in 2013 he answered a call to stand in for a year as Acting Director, a role which extended to 2015, before Carol Vosloo was appointed in 2016.

Chet ran the first of his 32 Two Oceans Ultra-marathons at 35 in 1978 and the last in 2014 at 71, with his fastest time of 3 hr 58 min 01 sec achieved in 1987.

The launch of the “Sainsbury medal” in 2006 for runners running the 56km faster than 5 hours, reflects the esteem in which both Chet and Annemarie have been held by Two Oceans. 

The post Two Oceans success recalls glory days as the spirit of Sainsbury lives on appeared first on Sports Network Africa.