World Athletics blocks 11 athlete transfer requests to Turkiye

Athletes from Kenya, Nigeria and Jamaica have applications rejected for ‘recruitment drive’ by Turkiye government.A World Athletics panel has refused 11 allegiance transfer requests to ‌Turkiye over ⁠what it called a “coordinated ⁠recruitment strategy” by the Turkish government to attract overseas athletes with lucrative contracts, the sport’s governing body has said.The requests came from five Kenyan ⁠athletes, including former women’s marathon world record holder Brigid Kosgei, and four Jamaicans, including Olympic discus gold medallist Roje Stona and Olympic shot put bronze medallist Rajindra Campbell.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Chelsea seek to ignite UCL chase as Man Utd arrive in Premier Leaguelist 2 of 4What is tailgating, and has FIFA banned it at World Cup stadiums in the US?list 3 of 4Lionel Messi buys Barcelona-based Spanish football club Cornellalist 4 of 4World Cup fans outraged by US transit prices for 2026 FIFA eventsend of listNigerian sprinter ⁠Favour Ofili and Russian heptathlete Sophia Yakushina were the other two requests.The World Athletics Nationality Review Panel said it considered that approval of these applications would compromise eligibility rules and transfer of allegiance regulations.“The panel found that the applications formed part of a coordinated recruitment ‌strategy led by the Turkiye government acting through a wholly-owned and financed government club, to attract overseas athletes through lucrative contracts,” World Athletics said in a statement.“With the aim of facilitating transfers of allegiance and enabling those athletes to represent Turkiye at future international competitions, including the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.”World Athletics’ transfer of allegiance regulations include criteria aimed at ensuring a genuine connection between the athlete and the country ⁠they represent and to protect the integrity, credibility and development ⁠of the sport globally.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.