Rajindra Campbell breaks silence, says JAAA made Turkiye switch ‘easy’
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Olympic medallist Rajindra Campbell has broken his silence on his decision to switch allegiance from Jamaica to Turkiye, which was revealed last Thursday.
The 29-year-old shot put thrower is among four Jamaican athletes who are reported to have completed the documentation to become Turkish citizens, lured by lucrative financial gains.
Speaking on the Coach’s Desk TV YouTube channel on Monday, Campbell accused the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) of not caring about athletes, pointing to an eight-year US$40 million ($6.4 billion) Adidas contract which was turned down in 2024 when the JAAA extended its contract with longtime sponsors Puma.
READ: JAAA reportedly re-signs with Puma despite fresh Adidas bid
With hindsight, Campbell said he committed to putting himself first in 2025.
“I don’t believe that they really understand that it is challenging. For one, track and field, we are not sprinters, obviously, and as you can see, I am still unsponsored,” he said.
Campbell explained that the Adidas contract would have greatly improved the sport for Jamaican athletes.
“There were bonuses that would have benefited the athlete, not the federation. Certain things they wouldn’t have control over because it would have been directed to the athlete, based on my understanding,” he said.
“And they went against that, so in my eyes, dem nuh care bout us so mi decide seh, I literally start the year with the mindset of ‘this year I am doing it for me’. As a result, this is the decision I have to make. They more care about their life for the sponsor, and not their life for the country, so in a sense, they make the decision kinda easy,” he continued.
Campbell noted that he was approached in 2023 to compete for another country but declined out of loyalty to Jamaica.
Paris 2024 Olympic medallists Roje Stona and Wayne Pinnock, as well as prodigious Under-20 triple jump record holder Jaydon Hibbert, are the other athletes who are reported to have switched allegiance.
