Kerry-Lee Ricketts, the husband and coach of Olympic Games and World Championships medal-winning triple-jumper Shanieka Ricketts, has indicated that his wife has twice turned down offers to switch national allegiance from Jamaica, choosing instead to remain loyal to the country she has represented since her youth.

His comments come on the heels of news that Olympic medallists Roje Stona, Rajindra Campbell and Wayne Pinnock have reportedly switched allegiance with Türkiye, one of the countries luring the Jamaicans with lucrative financial packages.

Stona, who had earlier attempted a transition into the NFL, etched his name into history at the Paris Olympic Games by breaking the men’s discus throw record with a 70.00m throw. Meanwhile, Campbell captured Jamaica’s first-ever Olympic medal in the men’s shot put, taking home the bronze. Pinnock also secured a podium finish in Paris, taking the silver medal in the long jump event. These landmark performances have now taken a new turn with news of their defection.

World Under-20 triple jump champion Jaydon Hibbert is also believed to be on his way out the door, rounding out the exodus of local field event standouts.

According to Ricketts, his wife Shanieka was approached by three countries in the past, but decided to remain steadfast in her commitment to Jamaica.

“Yes, she has turned down offers in 2019 after she won the Diamond League final, and then again in 2022 we turned down two, one from an Asian country and two European countries,” he disclosed.

“For Shanieka, she can only see herself competing for Jamaica. So even though there are others around her saying that she should think about it, Shaneika is quite loyal to Jamaica,” he added.

“Even though at times she don’t really get the love and appreciation that I think she deserves, she is still loyal,” said Ricketts. “There are times that are pretty rough with us even with the national team, but she basically has always wanted to represent Jamaica and she has been doing so from the different age groups and that was part of her dream growing up — to represent Jamaica — and she can only see herself representing Jamaica.”

Ricketts highlighted the financial strain faced by athletes, especially those in field events, who don’t receive the same attention or funding as their sprint counterparts and therefore is not surprised that these athletes have decided to switch allegiance from Jamaica.

“When you think about the cost, how some of these athletes have to invest in themselves, the cost for athletes on a monthly basis is very high. If you want to compete at a high level and represent the country at an Olympics, you are talking about two massages per week and on average, a massage can cost $8,000 and this is $16,000 for the week and add to that supplements and several other things that is tied to training, and all that. So it is a very expensive sport and when you are not getting a lot of funding and on top of that when the love is not there as well,” Ricketts asserted.

He also pointed out that there is a great disparity in support between field events and the more high-profile sprint disciplines.

“When you think about the field events, which do not garner the same amount of money and attention as the sprints, you have some field event athletes basically out there competing without a shoe company deal and they have to get a full-time job or a part-time job to support themselves,” Ricketts highlighted. “I think a lot of people will be considering this, to be honest, so I wasn’t really surprised by their switch.”

The top brass of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association is expected to meet on Friday to discuss the developments.