Olympic discus champion Rojé Stona, marathon runner Brigid Kosgei and sprinter Favour Ofili are among those who have been blocked from representing a new country.

Stamping down on 'nation hopping' was one of Seb Coe's main goals when he became president of World Athletics in 2015. Within two years of starting his role he froze all transfers of allegiance, stating the system was "open to abuse" and "no longer fit for purpose".

He then brought in tougher regulations which included a mandatory three-year waiting period, a requirement for full citizenship and a minimum age of 20 for transfers. Coe even went as far as to liken the transfer of junior athletes to "human trafficking".

Now, after a recent wave of applications, mainly by Kenyan and Jamaican athletes, to switch to Turkey, World Athletics has rejected their attempts to change nationality.

The athletes prevented from switching to Turkey include:

Rojé Stona (JAM) – Olympic discus champion in 2024.
Brigid Kosgei (KEN) – former marathon world record-holder with 2:14:04, Olympic silver medallist in 2021 and big-city marathon winner in London, Chicago and Tokyo.
Wayne Pinnock (JAM) – Olympic silver medallist in the long jump.
Jaydon Hibbert (JAM) – world under-20 triple jump record-breaker, now aged 21.
Ronald Kwemoi (KEN) – 2024 Olympic 5000m silver medallist.

Favour Ofili (NGR) – Commonwealth 200m silver medallist and sixth in the Paris Olympics.
Catherine Amanang'ole (KEN) – world half-marathon bronze medallist in 2023.
Rajindra Campbell (JAM) – Olympic bronze medallist in the men's shot put.
Brian Kibor (KEN) – 58:39 half-marathon man.
Nelvin (Can) Jepkemboi (KEN) – 29:45 10km runner.
Sophia Yakushina (RUS) – 6260 heptathlete.

World Athletics say they "considered that approval of these applications would impinge upon and compromise the imperatives underlying the World Athletics eligibility rules and transfer of allegiance regulations".

The global governing body found that its judging panel "found that the applications formed part of a coordinated recruitment strategy led by the Türkiye government acting through a wholly‑owned and financed government club, to attract overseas athletes through lucrative contracts, with the aim of facilitating transfers of allegiance and enabling those athletes to represent Türkiye at future international competitions, including the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games."

Examples of nation hopping prior to Coe's period in charge include the Kenyan steeplechaser Stephen Cherono, who switched to Qatar amid rumours of a $1 million signing fee, in addition to monthly payments of $1000 for the rest of his life.

He changed his name to Saif Saaeed Shaheen and won world titles in 2003 and 2005 and broke the world record in 2004 with 7:53.63.