Global track and field’s governing body, World Athletics, has formally rejected nationality transfer applications from 11 top-tier athletes seeking to compete for Turkey, in a high-profile decision that exposes controversy over state-sponsored athlete recruitment in international sport.
Among the high-profile names turned away are Brigid Kosgei, the former women’s marathon world record holder who claimed Olympic silver for Kenya at the 2020 Tokyo Games, and Roje Stona, the Jamaican athlete who shocked the field to win men’s discus gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The cohort of applicants also includes four other Kenyan athletes: Catherine Relin Amanang’ole, Brian Kibor, Ronald Kwemoi and Nelvin Jepkemboi; three additional Jamaican competitors: Rajindra Campbell, Jaydon Hibbert and Wayne Pinnock; Nigerian sprinter Favour Ofili; and Russian athlete Sophia Yakushina.
In its official statement on the ruling, World Athletics argued that all 11 applications formed part of a coordinated, government-backed recruitment strategy designed by Turkey to attract elite foreign athletes to the country with highly lucrative financial contracts. The transfers were organized through a club fully owned and funded by the Turkish government, with the explicit goal of having these athletes represent Turkey at major international competitions, most notably the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
The decision follows a lackluster performance for Turkey at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where the country secured eight total medals but failed to claim a single gold medal, a outcome widely interpreted as pushing Turkish authorities to accelerate efforts to recruit established foreign talent. World Athletics’ review panel, which assessed all 11 applications together due to their shared structural characteristics, ruled that approving the transfers would directly undermine the core principles and regulatory objectives of the organization’s rules on athlete eligibility and nationality transfers.
“Such an approach is inconsistent with the core principles of the regulations,” the panel concluded in its final ruling. As a result of the decision, none of the 11 athletes are currently eligible to represent Turkey in national team competitions or any other relevant international track and field events, leaving their future competitive careers in limbo as they weigh potential next steps.