BY OSABUOHIEN VIVIAN-ROSE
World Athletics has rejected 11 applications from athletes seeking to switch nationality to Türkiye, citing concerns over what it described as a coordinated government-backed recruitment effort.
The denied requests included five athletes from Kenya—among them former marathon world record holder Brigid Kosgei—as well as four Jamaicans, including Olympic medalists Roje Stona and Rajindra Campbell. Nigerian sprinter Favour Ofili and Russian heptathlete Sophia Yakushina were also affected.
Brigid Kosgei (former marathon world record-holder), Ronald Kwemoi, Catherine Amanang’ole, Brian Kibor, and Nelvin Jepkemboi from Kenya.
Rojé Stona (2024 Olympic discus gold medalist), Rajindra Campbell, Jaydon Hibbert, and Wayne Pinnock from Jamaica.
Favour Ofili from Nigeria and Sophia Yakushina from Russia.
According to the World Athletics Nationality Review Panel, approving these transfers would undermine the sport’s eligibility rules. The panel concluded that the applications were part of a structured recruitment drive by the Turkish government, allegedly using a state-funded athletics club to attract international athletes with lucrative offers.
The governing body emphasized that its nationality transfer rules are designed to ensure athletes have a genuine link to the country they represent, while also protecting the integrity and global development of athletics.
These rules were tightened in 2019 under the leadership of Sebastian Coe, who previously warned that some nationality switches—particularly involving young athletes—bordered on exploitation.
Türkiye has a history of fielding naturalized athletes, notably at the 2016 European Championships, where several competitors originally hailed from countries such as Kenya, Jamaica, and Ethiopia. One high-profile example is Ramil Guliyev, who switched allegiance and went on to win 200m gold at the 2017 World Championships.
Other nations have followed similar paths. For instance, Qatar has recruited foreign-born athletes like Fares Ibrahim Hassouna, while Winfred Yavi has achieved global success after changing allegiance.
Despite the rejections, World Athletics clarified that the affected athletes are still free to compete in one-day events or road races independently or at club level, and may continue to live and train in Türkiye.
