Frustrated with a 64th-place finish at the 2024 Summer Olympics – its worst showing in Games history – Turkey has launched an ambitious recruitment drive, naturalizing 11 foreign athletes, including five Olympic medalists from Kenya and Jamaica.
Önder Özbilen, the coordinator for Turkish athletes vying for the 2028 Los Angeles Games, confirmed the previously unconfirmed list of athletes in an interview with AFP.
“I’m not a Turk walking around abroad with a suitcase full of money,” said the outspoken advisor to the Turkish Minister of Sports. He claims to have led “the most humanitarian naturalization campaign ever undertaken.”
Among the notable additions is Kenyan Brigid Kosgei, the former marathon world record holder and silver medalist at the 2021 Tokyo Games, along with compatriot Ronald Kwemoi, who earned a silver medal in the 5000 meters at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Three other less-known Kenyan athletes – Catherine Amanang’ole, Nelvin Jepkemboi, and Brian Kibor – also join the Turkish ranks.
Four Jamaicans who collectively won three of their nation’s six medals in Paris are also included: Rojé Stona, the surprise gold medalist in the discus throw, Wayne Pinnock, a silver medalist in the long jump, Rajindra Campbell, a bronze medalist in the shot put, and 21-year-old Jaydon Hibbert, who finished fourth in the triple jump.
Nigerian sprinter Favour Ofili and Russian heptathlete Sofia Yakushina, both of whom have signed contracts extending through October 2032, complete the roster.
Tens of Thousands of Dollars in “Compensation”
“These transfers aren’t the work of mercenaries,” Özbilen insists, claiming to have rescued several athletes “abandoned by their federations.”
Turkey, which has a long history of naturalizing athletes, believes they will serve as “role models who will attract local talent” to the track and field scene.
Displaying his phone, the recruiter stated he has turned down 30 service offers from athletes – including Americans – motivated solely by money.
Still, African and Caribbean media outlets suggest financial incentives are driving these recent allegiance changes, citing figures reaching $500,000 USD (approximately $685,000 CAD) per athlete. These figures were denied to AFP by multiple sources, including the agent of Jamaican Rojé Stona.
“There’s no signing bonus, just compensation,” Özbilen clarified, explaining that half of the athletes received payments “up to $300,000 USD spread over 30 months” (approximately $410,000 CAD) to offset lost income – including prize money and advertising contracts – during the three-year period when a naturalized athlete cannot represent any country in international competition.
athletes will receive a monthly salary ranging from $3,000 to $7,000 USD (between $4,100 and $9,600 CAD), and generous bonuses for any Turkish medals won – up to 1000 Republic of Turkey gold coins (Cumhuriyet Altini) for an Olympic title, worth over $1 million USD at current exchange rates.
“Paying the Bills”
“I love my country, but loyalty isn’t enough to pay the bills,” Jamaican Wayne Pinnock told specialist media outlet The Inside Lane last year.
The agent of Olympic champion Rojé Stona, Paul Doyle, says that “it would have been very demanding for him to continue dedicating himself to the sport” had he remained in Jamaica.
These changes of allegiance, along with those of the nine other athletes naturalized by Turkey between May and July 2025, still require validation from a panel of World Athletics, which requires any competitor to “have a genuine connection with the country they represent.”
“We are patiently awaiting a decision, fully following the roadmap,” said Özbilen, adding that all athletes already have a residence in Turkey.
World Athletics told AFP that “each case will be studied in depth,” without specifying a timeline.
Canadian Offer Rejected
Within Turkey, this previously secretive recruitment strategy is causing discontent among athletes and their coaches, according to Devrim Demirel, a journalist for the daily Nefes, who has covered Turkish athletics since the 1990s.
He believes “this aggressive campaign is a gamble” funded by taxpayer money, conducted without consulting the athletics federation and “without any guarantee of medals.”
Turkey, which hasn’t ranked within the top 25 in the medal table since the 2004 Olympics, is hoping its strategy will pay off.
The chief recruiter reportedly attempted to naturalize Canadian hammer thrower Ethan Katzberg, the gold medalist in Paris 2024 and world champion in 2023 and 2025. “They offered him money, but for him it wasn’t even a question of money,” his agent, Robert Wagner, told AFP.
The agent hopes that the international federation will “scrutinize” each dossier submitted by Turkey.
“You can’t have people who aren’t there, with an apartment where someone just comes to water the plants,” he said.
