It’s not accidental that the four Jamaicans — among 11 global athletic stars — who applied to switch allegiance to Turkiye ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games all compete in field events.

The Jamaicans involved in the failed attempt are 2024 Olympic discus gold medal winner Mr Roje Stona, Olympic shot put bronze medallist Mr Rajindra Campbell, Olympic and World Athletics Championships long jump silver medallist Mr Wayne Pinnock, and 2022 World Under-20 Championships triple jump gold medallist Mr Jayden Hibbert.

The harsh truth is that, in a country which boasts the peerless Mr Usain Bolt and others — considered among the finest sprinters and quarter-milers ever — field event athletes are largely peripheral.

Their success notwithstanding, the likes of Messrs Stona, Pinnock, Campbell, and Hibbert will not typically attract the glamour, sponsorship contracts, and financial rewards of those who run fast.

Also, while there will be the desire so to do, Jamaica, like countless other countries, cannot adequately support all athletes from State resources.

Such constraints often influence talented athletes from less economically developed countries to switch national allegiance in search of financial reward and security.

The argument is often made that Jamaican nurses, doctors, teachers, et al, who migrate to greener pastures are doing likewise.

We believe, though, that such attempts at drawing parallels, though superficially credible, fall short in the context of traditional international competitive sporting events such as the Olympic Games, World Championships, FIFA World Cup, et al.

Such tournaments involve proud, sovereign nations represented by their finest athletes fiercely competing for honour and glory.

Yet, in our increasingly commercialised, globalised world, driven by rapidly evolving technology, the feeling may well be growing that the concept of the nation State with defined borders is no longer as relevant as in times past.

Perhaps that sense of a fast-changing dynamic has emboldened countries like Turkiye and others to openly recruit foreigners with no heritage connections, simply using money as a lure.

For sure, the release explaining the decision of World Athletics Review Panel to reject the 11 applications reflects a determination to thwart what’s clearly perceived to be a purely transactional approach to international sport.

The panel found that “the applications formed part of a coordinated recruitment strategy led by the Turkish Government acting through a wholly-owned and financed government club to attract overseas athletes through lucrative contracts…”

And further, that the approach threatened principles and regulations “designed to safeguard the credibility of international competition, encourage member federations to invest in the development of domestic talent, and maintain confidence that national teams are not primarily assembled through external recruitment…”

We hear of a possible legal challenge to the World Athletics ruling largely on the basis of unfair restraint of trade.

Whatever happens from here, we applaud the pledge to the affected athletes by president of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) Mr Garth Gayle that, whether they continue in the “black, green and gold” or go elsewhere, his organisation is ready to “engage constructively and provide support where possible”.