World Athletics has rejected 11 requests for athletes to switch allegiance to Turkey. The sport's governing body stated these applications were part of a "coordinated recruitment strategy" by the Turkish government, which allegedly used lucrative contracts to attract overseas talent.
The refused requests included five Kenyan athletes, one of whom was former women's marathon world record holder Brigid Kosgei. Also denied were four Jamaicans, including Olympic discus gold medallist Roje Stona and Olympic shot put bronze medallist Rajindra Campbell, along with Nigerian sprinter Favour Ofili and Russian heptathlete Sophia Yakushina.
World Athletics indicated that approving these transfers would compromise the integrity of its eligibility rules. The panel found the applications were facilitated by a government-funded club aiming to enable these athletes to represent Turkey in future international events, including the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
These regulations were tightened in 2019 to ensure genuine connections between athletes and their adopted countries and to protect the sport's credibility. Turkey has a history of featuring foreign-born athletes on its national teams, and other nations like Qatar have also used financial incentives to naturalize competitors.