World Athletics Blocks Brigid Kosgei and Four Other Kenyan Stars from Turkey Switch

Brigid Kosgei stood at the center of international athletics controversy on April 16 when World Athletics rejected her application—alongside four other elite Kenyan runners—to represent Turkey in international competition.

<cite index="1-2,1-3">World Athletics rejected applications by top Kenyan athletes to represent Turkey, including former world record holder Brigid Kosgei and former world 5000 metres silver medallist Ronald Kwemoi</cite>. <cite index="4-2">The other athletes who had sought to represent Turkey include world half marathon bronze medalist Catherine Reline Amanang'ole, Brian Kibor, and Nelvin Jepkemboi</cite>.

The rejection came from World Athletics' Nationality Review Panel, which determined the applications were part of a broader pattern that violated the sport's eligibility and transfer regulations. <cite index="2-14">The panel concluded that the transfers were part of a coordinated recruitment effort supported by the Turkish government through a state-funded athletics club</cite>. <cite index="2-15">World Athletics said that such arrangements undermine fair competition, weaken investment in domestic athletes, and risk reducing trust in national representation</cite>.

The Bigger Picture: A Mass Rejection

The Turkish recruitment drive extended beyond Kenya. <cite index="8-6">The decision also impacts non-Kenyan athletes who had applied to represent Turkey, including Jamaica's Rajindra Campbell, Jaydon Hibbert, Wayne Pinnock, and Rojé Stona, Nigeria's Favour Ofili, and Russia's Sophia Yakushina</cite>.

For Kosgei, 31, the rejection is particularly significant. <cite index="2-17">Kosgei is among the leading marathon runners of her era</cite>. She held the women's marathon world record before it was broken, and her decision to seek a Turkish passport likely stemmed from the intense competition within Kenya's deep talent pool.

<cite index="2-16,4-3">The affected athletes may still train or compete at club level in Turkey but are ineligible for major championships, including the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, and World Athletics noted that this does not prevent the athletes from competing in one-day meetings or road races in a personal or club capacity</cite>.

Why Athletes Leave Kenya

The case reopens a familiar wound in Kenyan athletics: the exodus of talent to countries offering better financial incentives and less fierce internal competition. <cite index="7-3,7-15">Countries lure away athletes with fat cheque books and enviable incentives like free scholarships, targeting athletes who struggle to even get recognition in national athletics in Kenya</cite>.

Akdag Alex Kipkirui, a Kenyan-born steeplechaser now running for Turkey, explained his decision in stark terms. <cite index="7-17,7-18">Kipkirui, who has represented Turkey in many Olympics, dropped his Kenyan nationality for a Turkish one three years ago, saying it was a personal decision informed by his family's situation at the moment</cite>.

Another athlete who switched allegiance described the opportunity as life-changing. <cite index="7-24">Besides the financial gains she has also managed to get a scholarship, something she would never have dreamed of in Kenya</cite>. She added: <cite index="7-26">"To even make it to the national competitions where one at least stands a chance of winning and getting picked to represent the country in international competitions is very slim"</cite>.

A Long History of Switches

Kenya has watched dozens of its athletes don the colours of Bahrain, Qatar, Kazakhstan, Denmark, and the United States over the past two decades. <cite index="2-5,2-6">Bahrain has recruited Kenyan athletes, including Ruth Jebet, who won Olympic gold in 2016, and Winfred Mutile Yavi, who has claimed world and Olympic titles, while Norah Jeruto secured a world championship title for Kazakhstan in 2022</cite>.

<cite index="9-6,9-7,9-8,9-10">Stephen Cherono was a Kenyan athlete until the age of 20, then he received a lucrative deal he could not turn down—Kenya had lost a star who had recorded the world's fastest time in both the steeplechase and the 5,000m. Cherono was reportedly offered a Ksh112,300 monthly stipend for life to become a Qatari athlete</cite>. He accepted, changed his name to Saif Saeed Shaheen, and went on to break the steeplechase world record.

<cite index="8-14">In August 2024, World Athletics announced that Bahrain would not be able to recruit athletes from other countries until 2027, a decision that came in the wake of Kenyan-born Winfred Yavi snatching gold in the 3000m steeplechase for Bahrain at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games</cite>.

What Comes Next

The five rejected Kenyan athletes now face a choice: remain in Kenya and fight for a place on one of the world's most competitive national teams, or continue training abroad without the ability to represent Turkey at the sport's biggest stages.

<cite index="2-7,2-10">World Athletics has tightened its rules in recent years to limit nationality changes, arguing that stronger regulation is needed to protect the development of domestic talent and maintain the integrity of international competition</cite>.

For Kenya, the rejections offer a reprieve—five world-class athletes will not be competing against their compatriots under another flag. But the underlying issues remain: insufficient financial support for athletes at home, brutal internal competition for team spots, and the persistent lure of better-funded programmes abroad.

The 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles loom large. If the five athletes remain in Kenya, they will need to earn their places through the national trials—a process that has no guarantees, even for a former world-record holder like Brigid Kosgei.

Reporting drawn from Daily Nation, Mwakilishi, Capital FM Kenya, Vantage Kenya, FairPlanet, Kenyans.co.ke.