World Athletics has made a landmark decision this week, rejecting 11 athlete nationality transfer requests to Türkiye in what officials describe as an unprecedented coordinated recruitment effort. The move directly impacts six African athletes and multiple Olympic medalists seeking to represent Türkiye in international competitions.
In a statement released today, April 16, 2026, the governing body revealed its Nationality Review Panel denied transfers for high-profile athletes including Kenya's former marathon world record holder Brigid Kosgei, Jamaican Olympic medalists Rojé Stona and Rajindra Campbell, and Nigerian sprint star Favour Ofili. The rejected applications involved five Kenyan, four Jamaican, one Nigerian, and one Russian athlete.
The decision comes after investigators identified what they characterize as a state-supported strategy using a government-funded athletics club to recruit foreign talent. Documents suggest the program aimed to strengthen Türkiye's competitive position ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics through lucrative contracts offered to established international athletes.
"Approving these transfers would fundamentally undermine our sport's integrity," a World Athletics spokesperson stated. "Our rules exist to ensure authentic national team development and prevent nations from building rosters primarily through external recruitment."
While affected athletes may continue living and competing in Türkiye through club events, they remain barred from representing the country in World Athletics-sanctioned international competitions. The ruling highlights growing tensions between national athletic development programs and global talent mobility in competitive sports.
