World Athletics slams brakes on transfer of Jamaicans and other athletes to Türkiye

A major setback has been dealt to Jamaica’s quartet of elite field athletes as World Athletics has blocked their proposed switch to Türkiye, ruling the move part of a coordinated recruitment strategy. The decision, handed down by the organisation’s Nationality Review Panel, also affects seven other athletes from Kenya, Nigeria, and Russia, and effectively halts what it described as a state-backed effort by Türkiye to recruit top international talent ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics.