World Athletics Blocks Brigid Kosgei's Move to Turkey — Why the Marathon Legend's Switch Was Denied
World Athletics has rejected applications by five elite Kenyan athletes, including former marathon world record holder Brigid Kosgei, to switch allegiance to Turkey. The decision blocks a coordinated recruitment effort a
On April 16, World Athletics delivered a decisive blow to Turkey's recruitment ambitions, rejecting applications from five elite Kenyan athletes seeking to change their nationality for international competition. At the center of the decision: Brigid Kosgei, the 31-year-old former women's marathon world record holder, whose planned switch has now been blocked indefinitely.
The ruling also affects Ronald Kwemoi, the former world 5000m silver medallist, and three other distance runners: Catherine Reline Amanang'ole, a world half-marathon bronze medallist; Brian Kibor; and Nelvin Jepkemboi. All five had applied to represent Turkey in major championships, including the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics — but World Athletics' Nationality Review Panel determined the transfers violated eligibility rules and transfer of allegiance regulations.
The recruitment machine behind the applications
World Athletics pointed to a coordinated pattern. The governing body concluded that the applications were part of a state-funded recruitment effort supported by the Turkish government through an athletics club. According to the statement, such arrangements "undermine fair competition, weaken investment in domestic athletes, and risk reducing trust in national representation."
The athletes are still free to train and compete at club level in Turkey, and can participate in one-day meetings or road races in a personal capacity. But they are now locked out of major championships representing Turkey — a significant setback for runners who had likely been offered financial incentives and guaranteed spots on a national team with far less internal competition than Kenya's.
Kosgei, who set the women's marathon world record of 2:14:04 in Chicago in 2019 (a mark that stood until 2023), has been one of the sport's most dominant marathoners. Her planned departure underscores a persistent tension in Kenyan athletics: world-class talent competing for limited national team slots, lured abroad by countries willing to pay.
A long history of Kenyan talent going abroad
Kenya's loss of elite athletes to other nations is not new. Wilson Kipketer became a Danish citizen in the 1990s after moving to the country on an exchange program, and went on to set the 800m world record. Stephen Cherono switched to Qatar in 2003, became Saif Saaeed Shaheen, and broke the 3000m steeplechase world record within months. Bernard Lagat represented the United States and won multiple world titles.
Bahrain has been especially aggressive. Winfred Mutile Yavi, born in Makueni County, switched allegiance in 2016 after failing to make the Kenyan team. She went on to win Olympic gold in Paris 2024 and world titles for Bahrain. Ruth Jebet won Olympic gold in 2016. Norah Jeruto claimed a world championship title for Kazakhstan in 2022.
In August 2024, World Athletics banned Bahrain from recruiting athletes from other countries until 2027, a move that came in direct response to the trend of Kenyan-born athletes claiming medals for the Gulf state.
Financial pressure and fierce competition at home
Athletes who have switched cite two main reasons: money and competition. Kenyan trials are ruthless. Even world-class runners can miss Olympic or world championship teams because of the sheer depth of talent. Countries like Turkey, Bahrain, Qatar, and Kazakhstan offer guaranteed national team spots, lucrative contracts, scholarships, and long-term financial security.
One unnamed athlete quoted in a 2021 FairPlanet report said: "Even schools have no scholarships for athletes. It is a whole different world out here which is why I am happy I accepted the offer."
The pattern has stoked resentment in Kenya. Some fans view the departures as betrayal; others see them as a symptom of systemic neglect. Athletics Kenya has historically struggled to provide the kind of financial and logistical support that wealthier federations offer.
What comes next
The five blocked athletes now face a difficult choice. They can remain in Kenya and re-enter the brutal national selection process, or they can continue training abroad at club level, waiting for rules to change or for an appeal process to open.
World Athletics has signaled it will enforce stricter scrutiny on nationality transfers, especially when they appear to be part of government-backed recruitment schemes. The organization argues that the integrity of national representation depends on athletes being developed by the countries they represent — not simply imported for medals.
For Kenya, the ruling is a short-term win. But the underlying problems remain. Until Athletics Kenya can offer its athletes the financial security and support that rival nations provide, the temptation to leave will persist — and the country will continue to see its champions run in the colors of other flags.
“"These principles are designed to safeguard the credibility of international competition, encourage Member Federations to invest in the development of domestic talent and maintain confidence among athletes that national teams are not primarily assembled through external recruitment."”
The broader question is whether Kenya can build a system that keeps its greatest athletes home — not through bans, but through investment, opportunity, and recognition. For now, Brigid Kosgei and four of her peers remain Kenyan, whether by choice or by ruling. What happens next will depend on whether the country can make that allegiance worth keeping.
Reporting drawn from Daily Nation, Mwakilishi, Capital FM Kenya, Viraltea Kenya.