World Athletics Blocks 11 Star Athletes From Switching To Turkey

Last Updated:April 17, 2026, 11:27 IST

World Athletics rejects 11 athletes switching to Turkey, including Roje Stona and Brigid Kosgei, ruling Turkeys recruitment strategy violates eligibility principles

World Athletics on Thursday rejected applications from 11 elite athletes seeking to transfer their allegiance to Turkey, dealing a major blow to the country’s medal prospects at the 2028 Olympics.

Four leading Jamaicans, including 2024 Olympic men’s discus gold medallist Roje Stona, and five Kenyans, among them former women’s marathon world record-holder Brigid Kosgei, were among those affected.

The full list comprised Kosgei’s compatriots Catherine Relin (Selin Can) Amanang’ole, Brian Kibor, Ronald Kwemoi and Nelvin (Can) Jepkemboi; Stona’s fellow Jamaicans Rajindra Campbell, Jaydon Hibbert and Wayne Pinnock; Nigeria’s Favour Ofili; and Russian athlete Sophia Yakushina.

Turkey had been offering long-term financial support to attract foreign track and field stars in a bid to secure multiple gold medals at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

This strategy followed Turkey’s poor performance at the 2024 Summer Games in Paris, where the country failed to win a single gold among its eight medals across all sports.

Why The Switch Was Blocked?

However, World Athletics took a different view, stating that approving the applications “would impinge upon and compromise the imperatives" underpinning eligibility rules and transfer of allegiance regulations.

A World Athletics panel found that the applications “formed part of a coordinated recruitment strategy led by the Turkiye government acting through a wholly‑owned and financed government club".

Their objective, the governing body said, was “to attract overseas athletes through lucrative contracts, with the aim of facilitating transfers of allegiance and enabling those athletes to represent Turkiye at future international competitions, including the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games".

“Given the common features across the applications, the panel assessed them together and determined that such an approach is inconsistent with the core principles of the regulations.

“These principles are designed to safeguard the credibility of international competition, encourage member federations to invest in the development of domestic talent and maintain confidence among athletes that national teams are not primarily assembled through external recruitment."

World Athletics concluded: “As a result of the decisions, the athletes are not eligible to represent Turkiye in national representative competitions or other relevant international events."

(With inputs from Agencies)

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