Kenyan Athletes Who Switched Nationality and Found Global Success

World Athletics has blocked five Kenyan athletes, including Brigid Kosgei and Ronald Kwemoi, from changing allegiance to Türkiye, preventing them from representing the country in future global competitions.

The decision was announced on Thursday after the governing body’s Nationality Review Panel assessed the applications. It concluded that the transfers were part of a coordinated recruitment effort supported by the Turkish government through a state-funded athletics club.

World Athletics said that such arrangements undermine fair competition, weaken investment in domestic athletes, and risk reducing trust in national representation. The affected athletes may still train or compete at club level in Türkiye but are ineligible for major championships, including the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

Kosgei, 31, is among the leading marathon runners of her era. She set a world record of 2:14:04 at the Chicago Marathon in 2019 and won Olympic silver in Tokyo in 2020, along with multiple victories in London and Chicago. Kwemoi, 30, won silver in the men’s 5,000 metres at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Catherine Relin Amanang’ole, Brian Kibor, and Nelvin Jepkemboi were also denied transfers. The ruling extends beyond Kenya. Applications from Jamaican athletes Rajindra Campbell, Jaydon Hibbert, Wayne Pinnock, and Rojé Stona were rejected, along with Nigeria’s Favour Ofili and Russia’s Sophia Yakushina.

The issue reflects a long-standing pattern in athletics, where Kenyan athletes have changed nationality to compete for other countries. In past cases, some athletes achieved significant success after transferring. Wilson Kipketer became a Danish citizen and won multiple world titles in the 800 metres.

Stephen Cherono, later known as Saif Saaeed Shaheen, represented Qatar and set a world record in the steeplechase. Bahrain has also recruited Kenyan athletes, including Ruth Jebet, who won Olympic gold in 2016, and Winfred Mutile Yavi, who has claimed world and Olympic titles.

Norah Jeruto secured a world championship title for Kazakhstan in 2022, while Bernard Lagat went on to win world titles for the United States after his transfer.
World Athletics has tightened its rules in recent years to limit nationality changes. It argues that stronger regulation is needed to protect the development of domestic talent and maintain the integrity of international competition.