The man who put Jamaica on the map in the throwing events, Fedrick Dacres says he supports the decision made by fellow throwers Roja Stona and Rajindra Campbell to switch allegiance from the island to represent Turkey.

READ: Big money pulls athletes from Jamaica

Dacres, in an interview with Observer Online, admitted that he too had been offered a chance to switch allegiance but stayed loyal to Jamaica. He refused to identify the pursuing country.

“In my humble opinion, remember they live in the [United] States and all that is said and done, the States is very expensive. You have to think that how much they are making in the States and if they can live a comfortable life, maybe they can’t,” Dacres pointed out.

He continued: “So, in retrospect, you can’t really complain. They really have to take care of themselves and if country not helping and all that, loyalty not too up there like that, if you know what I mean.

“So, I support their decisions. They are their own big man and if it’s beneficial to them, who are we to say nah,” he added.

Stona and Campbell, who earned gold and bronze medals for Jamaica at the Paris Olympics, respectively, are among four athletes who are reportedly taking their talents to represent Turkey, lured by lucrative financial gains. The others are Paris Olympics silver medallist in the long jump, Wayne Pinnock, and Under-20 triple jump record holder Jaydon Hibbert.

The 31-year-old Dacres, who made his name at Calabar High School and paved the way for Jamaican throwers, won the island’s first gold in the discus at the 2011 World Youth Championship.

The following year, he won the 2012 World Junior Championship gold medal, again becoming the first Jamaican to do so.

After dominating the youth ranks, Dacres won gold at the Commonwealth Games in 2018 and silver at the 2019 World Championship.