On Thursday, January 5, 2023, Athletics Kenya President Jackson Tuwei, announced tough rules aimed at curbing the high number of elite runners seeking to switch their allegiance.
Kenyan athletes did not have to seek permission from the government or federation before running for other states.
In a press conference held in Nairobi, Tuwei revealed that they have successfully convinced the World Athletics to allow the nation to have a bigger say in the issue.
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“Some of our athletes change their nationality without our knowledge as the federation. We made an appeal and we are happy that the World Athletics accepted it, and now there are new rules from 2023.
“You cannot change nationality or allegiance unless you have applied through the federation and the government
“So, you will not be seeing our athletes changing their allegiance without our input as the federation and the government of the Republic of Kenya,” stated Tuwei.
He ended his address by thanking the World Athletics for addressing their grievances.
Many Kenyan runners have changed their nationality in the past and went on to win titles for their adopted countries.
Some of these athletes who revoked their citizenship and triumphed on the global stage include Lonah Salpeter, Norah Jeruto, Bernard Lagat, and Winfred Mutile Yavi.
Salpeter and Jeruto recently won a silver and gold medal for Israel and Kazakhstan respectively during the 2022 World Championships staged in Oregon, United States.
Jeruto got her Kazakhstani passport in 2018 and had to wait for three years before being allowed to represent the central Asian nation.
Speaking during the World Championships, Jeruto divulged that she still sharpens her athletics skills in her motherland.
“I am training in Iten, Kenya because I have a work permit. Training in Kenya is something good because the weather in Kazakhstan is not friendly sometimes,” she ended.
Sports CS Ababu Namwamba, and Sebastian Coe, were among the prominent individuals present at the press conference.
Coe is a former Olympic champion and the President of the World Athletics. He hails from Britain.
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