分类： sports

In a landmark decision published Thursday, the World Athletics Nationality Review Panel has blocked 13 elite athletes, including four of Jamaica’s top track and field stars, from switching their international sporting allegiance to compete for Turkey. Among the Jamaican applicants was Roje Stona, the newly crowned 2024 Paris Olympic men’s discus gold medalist, alongside shot putter Rajindra Campbell, triple jumper Jaydon Hibbert and long jumper Wayne Pinnock – all core contributors to Jamaica’s rising field athletics program. The rejected applications also included six athletes from African nations – Nigeria’s Favour Ofili, four Kenyan runners including marathon legend Brigid Kosgei, Catherine Relin Amanang’ole, Brian Kibor, Ronald Kwemoi, Nelvin Jepkemboi – and one Russian athlete, Sophia Yakushina.

The panel’s ruling centered on a key finding: the batch of applications was not made up of individual requests, but rather part of a coordinated, state-backed recruitment strategy led by Turkey through a state-funded sports club. According to the panel’s statement, the program offered extremely lucrative financial contracts to elite athletes to secure their citizenship and eligibility to compete for Turkey at major international competitions, including the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

After reviewing all applications collectively due to their shared characteristics, the panel determined that this systematic recruitment approach directly conflicts with the foundational core principles of international track and field. These principles exist to protect the credibility of global competition, incentivize national member federations to invest in nurturing domestic young talent, and preserve athlete confidence that national teams are built through development, not large-scale poaching of established talent from other countries.

“These applications, if approved, would fundamentally undermine the purpose of World Athletics’ eligibility and transfer of allegiance rules,” the panel said in its official announcement. The ruling means none of the 13 athletes will be permitted to represent Turkey in international competitions or national team events. The decision does not restrict the athletes from competing in lower-stakes competitions such as one-day track meets or road races as individual or club entrants, nor does it bar them from continuing to live and train in Turkey.

World Athletics’ transfer regulations set clear criteria for athletes seeking to change the nation they represent at the international level. While holding legal citizenship of the new country is a basic requirement, additional rules are in place to verify a genuine, ongoing connection between the athlete and their new nation, and to protect the global integrity and long-term development of the sport. The independent Nationality Review Panel is tasked with evaluating all allegiance transfer applications in line with these binding regulations.

Prior to the ruling, reports confirmed the Jamaican quartet had already completed Turkish citizenship documentation, drawn by the promise of substantial financial compensation ahead of 2025. The planned departure of the four stars was widely seen as a major setback for Jamaica’s athletics program, particularly for its fast-improving field event sector, which the athletes have helped raise to global prominence. Following news of the athletes’ planned switch, the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) formally called on World Athletics to investigate and intervene, setting the stage for Thursday’s final decision.

In a significant development out of Kingston, Jamaica, prominent sports attorney Dr. Emir Crowne has raised critical questions about the procedural integrity of a recent ruling from World Athletics, which rejected national allegiance transfer requests from 11 athletes—four of whom are Jamaican—looking to represent Turkey in future international competition.

The Jamaican contingent at the center of the dispute includes three decorated Olympic medalists: Roje Stona, Wayne Pinnock, and Rajindra Campbell, alongside Jaydon Hibbert, the current world under-20 triple jump record holder. All four were part of the larger cohort that had applied to switch their athletic citizenship to the European nation.

World Athletics announced its ruling Thursday, confirming that its independent Nationality Review Panel unanimously rejected all 11 applications. In a formal statement, the governing body explained the panel determined approving the transfers would undermine core principles laid out in its eligibility rules and allegiance transfer regulations. The panel further alleged the applications were part of a systematic, state-coordinated recruitment drive orchestrated by the Turkish government via a state-owned and fully state-funded club. According to the panel’s findings, the club offered substantial, high-value contracts to recruit foreign athletes specifically to complete allegiance transfers and qualify them to compete for Turkey at major upcoming events, most notably the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

Speaking exclusively to Jamaica’s Observer Online, Crowne, one of the region’s most respected sports law experts, labeled the ruling a “very interesting development” and centered his critique on the panel’s process rather than the underlying policy itself. The core of Crowne’s concern centers on whether the panel evaluated each athlete’s application on its own individual merits, or whether the 11 cases were improperly grouped together for a single, collective decision.

“It does raise a question as to whether the 11 athletes were unfairly grouped together, as opposed to it being an individualised assessment of the merits of each transfer,” Crowne explained.

Beyond the grouping concern, Crowne also highlighted what he describes as a structural irregularity in the appeal process for athletes seeking to reverse the decision. He noted that any appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) first requires athletes to file a formal request for reconsideration with the same original Nationality Review Panel that rejected their applications. Crowne characterized this mandatory pre-appeal step as effectively requiring athletes to plead for a reversal from the very body that already ruled against them before they can access an independent, external arbitration panel.

“Seems to me that that in itself is slightly irregular,” he added.

The ruling has already sparked broader debate within global track and field about the balance between governing body regulations designed to prevent opportunistic nationality switching and the individual career rights of elite athletes. For the four Jamaican athletes involved, the decision puts their plans to compete for Turkey in upcoming international competitions on indefinite hold as they weigh their legal options for appeal.

In a move that cements his enduring connection to the Catalonia region where he launched his legendary football career, eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi has completed the acquisition of UE Cornella, a fifth-tier Spanish club based in Barcelona’s suburban area. The club officially confirmed the deal in a public statement released Thursday, naming the Inter Miami forward its new majority owner.

Messi, 38, currently plies his trade for Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami in the United States, and is gearing up to lead Argentina’s defense of its World Cup title at the 2026 tournament co-hosted by the U.S., Mexico and Canada. This acquisition marks a new milestone in Messi’s long-standing bond with Catalonia, where he rose to global stardom after coming through FC Barcelona’s famed La Masia youth academy. Over 17 seasons with Barca’s first team, he cemented his legacy as the club’s all-time top goalscorer, netting 672 competitive goals before departing in 2021. The football icon has previously publicly stated his intention to return to Catalonia to reside permanently once he retires from professional play.

Founded in the Barcelona suburbs, UE Cornella has a proven track record of developing elite football talent, with notable alumni including Arsenal’s first-choice goalkeeper David Raya and Jordi Alba, who won multiple trophies alongside Messi during their time together at FC Barcelona. In recent seasons, however, the club has faced on-field struggles, suffering consecutive relegations over the past two years that pushed it down to the fifth tier of Spanish football.

In its statement confirming the takeover, the club framed Messi’s arrival as the start of a transformative new era. “Leo Messi’s arrival marks the beginning of a new chapter in the club’s history, aimed at driving both sporting and institutional growth, strengthening its foundations, and continuing to invest in talent,” the statement read. The club added that the new project under Messi’s leadership is built on a long-term strategic vision that balances competitive ambition, financial sustainability, and an unwavering commitment to the club’s local community roots. This aligns with the core mission of nurturing emerging homegrown talent, a mission that has defined Cornella’s identity for decades.

The acquisition comes just two months after another of football’s all-time greats, Messi’s long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo, purchased a 25% stake in UD Almeria, a Spanish second-tier club based in the country’s southern Andalusia region, marking a recent trend of legendary active players investing in lower-tier Spanish sides ahead of their retirement from playing. For Messi, the move is more than a business investment: it is a public reaffirmation of his commitment to Catalonia and the development of grassroots football that gave him his start in the sport.

The annual Craig Town/MP Mark Golding Easter League football competition has concluded its latest edition, capping off weeks of competitive play with a dramatic final round and celebratory awards ceremony that honored the tournament’s top standout performers and teams.

Three official photographs captured by local photojournalist Joseph Wellington document key moments from the closing events of the popular regional community tournament. The first image captures a ceremonial presentation moment: Peter Douglas, a representative from Woodcats International, one of the tournament’s supporting partners, formally addresses Raequan Stoney, a member of the Gaza team which secured a second-place overall finish in the tournament’s final standings. Looking on during the presentation is local Councillor Patrick Roberts, who attended the closing ceremony to show municipal support for the community sports initiative.

A second photograph highlights the celebration of the tournament’s most valuable individual player. Oshane Samuels, who dominated the competition throughout the tournament, walked away with two of the event’s top individual honors: he was named the league’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) and also finished as the competition’s leading goalscorer. In the image, Samuels accepts his awards from Omar Marsh, the primary organizer of the Craig Town/MP Mark Golding Easter League, and Sharene McKenzie, who also assisted in coordinating the event’s closing activities.

The third image released from the event captures on-pitch action from one of the tournament’s competitive matches, showcasing the fast-paced, physical play that defined this year’s iteration of the popular Easter holiday football competition. The community-focused tournament has become a staple seasonal sporting event in the region, drawing local amateur teams and drawing crowds of local sports fans each year during the Easter holiday period, while also providing opportunities for local athletes to showcase their skills and compete for regional recognition.

Amid a rocky start to the 2026 Indian Premier League, Lucknow Super Giants’ Director of Cricket Tom Moody has publicly reaffirmed his unwavering faith in star West Indian batsman Nicholas Pooran, predicting the explosive hitter will quickly shake off his current form slump and return to match-winning ways.

The 30-year-old Trinidadian powerhouse, who turned heads across the T20 world with a career-best campaign in last year’s IPL, has struggled to find his rhythm through the first four matches of the 2026 season. To date, Pooran has notched just 41 runs across four innings, posting a strike rate of just 85 – the lowest mark of any IPL batsman who has faced at least 30 deliveries this term. This underperformance stands in stark contrast to his 2025 output, where he piled up 527 runs at a blistering strike rate of nearly 197, cementing his reputation as one of the most dangerous finishers in the league.

Most recently, Pooran’s slump continued on Wednesday during LSG’s five-wicket loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the iconic Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. In a surprising turn, the power-hitter managed only a single run from seven deliveries on a ground where he has historically dominated – boasting a career average of 74 and a strike rate of 218 at this venue.

Speaking after the defeat, Moody emphasized that Pooran is acutely aware of his slow start to the campaign, but that the entire LSG franchise remains fully confident in his ability to turn things around. The former Australian coach noted that the batting-friendly conditions at Chinnaswamy Stadium, from its generous outfield to its true batting surface, could be exactly the spark Pooran needs to regain his touch.

Moody doubled down on his support, pointing out that even world-class players go through brief lean patches, and that a return to form is only a matter of time. Citing the old adage that “class is permanent”, Moody warned opposing sides to prepare for an immediate counterpunch from Pooran, who is expected to bounce back to his destructive best in the coming fixtures.

On a tense final day of a West Indies Championship four-day fixture at Chedwin Park, the Jamaica Scorpions delivered one of the most memorable comebacks in regional first-class cricket this season, sealing a dramatic seven-wicket victory over defending force Barbados Pride that left head coach Robert Haynes calling it the finest win of his tenure.

Barbados Pride had put the Scorpions under intense pressure from the opening day, posting a solid first-innings total of 348 before holding a narrow six-run first-innings lead after Jamaica mustered 342 in response. Resuming on day four at 255 for five, Pride extended their advantage, with 23-year-old Kevin Wickham producing a historic batting performance to cement his place in match folklore. Fresh from a blistering 153 in the first innings, Wickham was imperious once again, expertly placing the ball into gaps to reach an unbeaten 108, becoming the first player in the match to score two centuries. Shamar Springer added 54 before falling to pacer Ojay Shields, and Marquino Mindley picked up late wickets including Joshua Bishop and Johann Layne to finish with match figures of seven wickets for 48 runs in the second innings. Pride captain Kraigg Brathwaite declared at 317 for eight, leaving the Scorpions an imposing target of 324 runs to win with just over two sessions remaining on a worn, unpredictable pitch.

What followed defied all expectations. Instead of shutting up shop for a draw, the Scorpions’ opening pair turned the match on its head with a record-breaking 242-run opening stand that broke Pride’s spirit. Skipper John Campbell, a West Indies Test batsman, led the charge from the front, attacking loose deliveries and putting the Barbados bowlers under constant pressure. He survived a major scare early in his innings when a sharp bouncer from pacer Jair McAllister struck him on the helmet, forcing a brief medical check for concussion, but returned to the crease unfazed to hammer his 11th first-class century. Campbell finished with a sensational 126 from 158 balls, decorated with 11 fours and six sixes, before finally holing out to long-on off Shamar Springer’s bowling.

At the opposite end, 25-year-old Kirk McKenzie matched Campbell’s aggression with elegant, tempered strokeplay, remaining unbeaten when the victory was secured. After Campbell’s departure, big-hitting promoted batsman Odean Smith fell cheaply for three, and Carlos Brown added 21 before being dismissed, leaving McKenzie to finish the job in style. The left-hander smashed a four and a six off consecutive deliveries from left-arm spinner Joshua Bishop to bring up the winning runs, finishing on 135 not out from 180 balls with 13 fours and two sixes. The Scorpions reached the target of 326 for three in just 61 overs, well inside the maximum 70-odd overs they were projected to have.

In his post-match interview, an elated Haynes could not hide his excitement over the result. “I think this is the best one I’ve ever seen — to chase 324 runs on the last day in 70-odd overs and to get it with time to spare,” he said. “We stuck to the task — we lost first innings by six runs, but we didn’t give up. We were scoring at four and a half runs per over so we decided at tea that we were going to have a go at it. Everything worked as planned, and overall it was a great team effort.” Haynes also heaped praise on Wickham for his historic double century performance, as well as Campbell and McKenzie for their match-changing opening partnership.

Brathwaite, the Pride captain, was gracious in defeat, acknowledging the Scorpions’ disciplined and determined performance. He noted that Jamaica’s patient, slow-scoring first innings had kept them in the game after Pride’s strong opening day total. “To be honest, it was good to see the fight Jamaica showed — they scored at only three runs an over. I’ve never played a Jamaica team that would have batted that slowly, but it just shows that the guys are up for it, so we have to up our game even more,” Brathwaite told reporters. He admitted that missed catching chances and a failure to build pressure through dot balls cost his side, but gave full credit to the Jamaican batting line-up for their clinical chase.

The two sides will now move on to the next stage of the series, with the second fixture scheduled to take place at Sabina Park from April 19 to 22, followed by the third match from April 26 to 29.

In a recent decision that has sent ripples through the global track and field community, World Athletics’ Nationality Review Panel has rejected nationality transfer applications from four elite Jamaican athletes seeking to compete for Turkey, a top Jamaican athletics official has confirmed.

The high-profile group includes three Olympic medalists — Roje Stona, Wayne Pinnock and Rajindra Campbell — alongside Jaydon Hibbert, the young star who holds the World Under-20 triple jump world record. The four athletes were part of a larger cohort of 11 competitors who had initiated the process of switching their national affiliation to the European nation, but all related transfer requests were turned down in Thursday’s ruling.

Garth Gayle, president of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA), has stressed that the governing body holds no resentment against the athletes who pursued the transfer, and that the national federation remains willing to welcome them back to the Jamaican team. “We hold no grudges, our doors are wide open,” Gayle stated in an interview with Jamaica Observer Online. He added that the federation would not place any barriers to the athletes re-integrating into Jamaican competitions, as long as they maintain good standing within the sport. “We are all Jamaicans and once they are in good standing,” he noted.

Gayle also shared that this situation is not without precedent in Jamaican athletics. He revealed that it is not the first occasion that athletes have started the nationality change process only to reverse their decision later, a situation the JAAA has navigated before. Beyond Jamaica’s own experience, the JAAA president pointed out that concerns over elite athletes being poached by other nations are not unique to the Caribbean country — many other athletic powerhouses have raised similar issues about the growing trend of nationality transfers driven by recruitment from other nations. The JAAA plans to release a full formal statement on the ruling later this day.