TOKYO, Japan — World Athletics has moved to examine its rules on athlete transfers of allegiance, following concerns from Jamaica and other smaller federations about the ease with which wealthier nations can lure top talent.

The Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) is at the forefront of raising the alarm, warning that the current regulations leave smaller countries vulnerable to losing their athletes to lucrative offers abroad.

This has prompted the formation of a World Athletics working group tasked with reviewing the rules and making recommendations.

JAAA Vice-President Ian Forbes, who is also Jamaica’s team leader at the World Athletics Championships, explained that the federation had initially planned to address the issue at last week’s World Athletics Congress but held back after receiving confirmation from World Athletics that action was already underway.

“The JAAA would have made a statement earlier this year, shortly after we had applications for change of allegiance from some of our athletes,” Forbes told the Jamaica Observer. “We would have said then that we would raise the matter at congress, but communication would have been sent prior to congress.”

“I did not attend, primarily because of duties as team leader, but we had other delegates attending on behalf of the JAAA. The information is that the matter was not necessarily raised at congress because they would have acted upon correspondence that we sent and put a working group together to look into the matter and come back to World Athletics with their recommendations.”

“It’s a live issue, it is being addressed, and we would have communicated and they would have acted upon it, and a working group is in place looking at the entire situation,” Forbes added.

The issue has gained fresh urgency following last summer’s Olympic Games when a number of high-profile Jamaican athletes applied to switch allegiance to Turkey, reportedly attracted by lucrative deals.

Olympic shot put champion Roje Stona, long jump silver medallist Wayne Pinnock, discus bronze medallist Rajindra Campbell, and triple jumper Jaydon Hibbert, are all aiming to represent Turkey at the 2028 Olympic Games.

Forbes highlighted that Jamaica’s concerns have resonated with several other federations, particularly smaller nations, and he emphasised the broader implications for fairness and the integrity of the sport.

“Particularly among the smaller federations, it’s a very sore point — and of course there are others as well who feel the same way. And [they] are advocating for some parity, some levelling of the playing field, as we move forward,” Forbes said.

The current eligibility rules of World Athletics for a transfer of allegiance require an athlete to demonstrate a genuine, close, and established connection to the new country, typically through citizenship and a minimum three-year waiting period after representing the previous nation.

Efforts to contact JAAA President Garth Gayle were unsuccessful.

— Andre Lowe