World Athletics has denied 11 athletes' requests to transfer their allegiance to Turkey. The denial was based on the finding that the applications were part of a coordinated recruitment strategy led by the Turkish government, according to an official statement from World Athletics. The strategy involved a wholly-owned and financed government club offering lucrative contracts to attract overseas athletes. The aim was to facilitate transfers of allegiance and enable those athletes to represent Turkey at future international competitions, including the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, the statement said.
The lucrative offers included a transition sum of 4.7 million kronor, a fixed monthly salary, and bonuses based on results, according to an official source. The athletes involved include Olympic discus gold medalist Roje Stona of Jamaica, Olympic shot put bronze medalist Rajindra Campbell of Jamaica, and former women's marathon world record holder Brigid Kosgei of Kenya. According to Aftonbladet, the 11 athletes include five Kenyans, four Jamaicans, one Nigerian, and one Russian.
The panel found that the applications formed part of a coordinated recruitment strategy led by the Turkey government acting through a wholly-owned and financed government club, to attract overseas athletes through lucrative contracts, with the aim of facilitating transfers of allegiance and enabling those athletes to represent Turkey at future international competitions, including the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
The refusal does not prevent the 11 athletes from competing in one-day meetings or road races in a personal or club capacity, or from living and training in Turkey, according to multiple reports. For Roje Stona, an official source said his nationality switch was stopped, making his previous maneuver unnecessary. In another case, multiple reports indicate that Nigerian sprinter Favour Ofili was not able to compete in last year's World Championships due to administrative errors by the Nigerian government.
World Athletics' transfer of allegiance regulations include criteria aimed at ensuring a genuine connection between the athlete and the country they intend to represent, and to protect the integrity, credibility and development of the sport globally, according to multiple reports. The rules were tightened in 2019, with World Athletics chief Sebastian Coe saying some cases of young athletes switching allegiance were akin to human trafficking, multiple reports indicate.
Key unknowns persist following the denial. It is not clear how the Turkish government or its club initially approached these athletes, nor what the official response from the Turkish government or the athletes involved to this denial has been. Additionally, it remains to be seen whether there are other pending or recent allegiance transfer requests to Turkey or other countries under similar scrutiny.