Favour Ashe Quits Nigeria for Qatar, Cites Poor Treatment and Neglect

United States-based sprinter Favour Ashe, Nigeria’s fastest man in recent years, has opted to switch allegiance to Qatar, citing an unfavourable athletics environment back home.

Ashe confirmed he has spent the last five months in Qatar and is actively preparing to compete under the Gulf nation’s flag. In an interview with The Guardian, he described the Nigerian system as unsupportive of his growth, contrasting it with Qatar where he said athletes are respected and well rewarded.

The 9.79-second sprinter expressed bitterness over his disqualification from the 100m final at the National Sports Festival in Abeokuta, an incident he said compounded his frustrations.

“The Qatar federation is taking us to South Africa to begin our season there. This is something Nigeria will never do,” Ashe said. He noted that several young Nigerian athletes are already part of Qatar’s Olympic development programme and are receiving better care and opportunities.

He warned that more athletes might follow, revealing that many are considering switching to countries that offer better support, regular competition, and financial incentives.

Sunday Akintan, another Nigerian sprinter who recently ran 6.48 seconds indoors, is also reported to have joined Qatar’s programme as the country builds a competitive 4x100m relay team around Nigerian-born talents.

Ashe represented Team Delta at the last National Sports Festival, but Delta State Sports Commission officials said they were unaware of his switch. It is also unclear if he received any training grants from the National Sports Commission this year.

His departure mirrors that of Favour Ofili, who switched allegiance to Turkey last year after accusing the Athletics Federation of Nigeria of maltreatment during the Paris Olympics.