Nigeria's Loss, Qatar's Gain: 3 promising Nigerian-born sprinters switch nationality, break Asian U20 Record in first race of 2026 season

Nigeria has reportedly lost three young athletes to Qatar as they competed in their first race of the season at the Aspire Indoor Invitational in Doha.

The trio raced in the men's 60m event, sweeping the Top 3 finish led by 18-year-old Jabar Khamis, who powered to a massive Personal Best (PB) of 6.52s to set a new Asian U20 Record.

Khamis was a promising athlete in Nigeria, by the name Promise Egbe, who won the 2019 National Youth Games. After making the switch, he changed his name to depict his new country, Qatar.

Consequently, Farouk Aremu also clocked a PB of 6.58s to finish second in the race. Unlike Khamis, who has completed his switch, Aremu is still in the process, but it's believed it'd be sorted soon.

Finally, Abdullah Masoud finished third in 6.67s, and it's believed he also seemingly switched allegiance from Nigeria.

The trio are the latest in the growing list of Nigerian athletes switching their nationality, after Favour Ofili's viral switch to Turkey shortly before the Tokyo 2025 World Championships.