Turkey had 11 athlete transfer requests denied by the World Athletics governing body

• World Athletics blocked 11 elite athletes from changing their nationality to Turkey.
• The move follows a government strategy to recruit foreign talent via contracts.
• Affected athletes include Olympic gold medalist Roje Stona and Brigid Kosgei.

A panel from World Athletics has denied requests from 11 top athletes who wished to represent Turkey. This decision prevents these individuals from competing for Turkey in any national or international events. The ruling ensures that transfer of allegiance regulations are strictly followed.

The governing body identified a coordinated recruitment strategy by the Turkish government. This plan utilized a government-financed club to offer lucrative contracts to overseas stars. The goal was to secure talent for the Los Angeles 2028 Games through these transfers.

Among those rejected were five Kenyans, including former world record-holder Brigid Kosgei. Other Kenyans mentioned are Brian Kibor, Ronald Kwemoi, Nelvin Jepkemboi, and Catherine Relin Amanang’ole. This group represents a significant effort to recruit elite distance runners.

Four Jamaicans were also part of the application, including Olympic gold medalist Roje Stona. The list further includes Wayne Pinnock, Jaydon Hibbert, and Rajindra Campbell. Additionally, the group contained one Russian athlete, Sophia Yakushina, and one Nigerian, Favour Ofili.

World Athletics stated that allowing these moves would compromise core eligibility principles. The body noted that Turkey won eight medals in Paris 2024, but none were gold. Therefore, the recruitment approach was deemed inconsistent with sporting regulations.