Nigerian top male athlete Favour Ashe has reportedly switched allegiance to Qatar.

Ashe, who is the latest athlete to dump Nigeria for other countries, revealed to The Guardian, Friday, why he took the decision.

“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 human feelings. Last year, I decided to take part in the National Sports Festival. I thought my presence was to add colour to the event, 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. You don’t threat people that way and expect the best from them.

“Besides, 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.”

Ashe disclosed that he has been in Qatar for the past five months, adding that he was surprised with the number of young Nigerian athletes he found training with Qatar.

“I am very sure we will form a formidable 4x100m relays team for Qatar,” he said.

In 2025, one of Nigeria’s best female sprinters, Favour Ofili, switched allegiance to Turkey, after citing ill treatment by officials of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) at the 2024 Olympics Games in Paris.