Winfred Mutile Yavi of Bahrain celbrates after winning the women's, 3000m steeplechase final at the Stade de France on August 6, 2024.
Insiders at Athletics Kenya could be aiding in the transfer of young, talented athletes from Kenya to other countries for personal benefit.
Working as local agents for countries in the Gulf region, Europe and the United States of America, powerful officials at Athletics Kenya have been luring junior athletes, most of whom are naïve, with promises of better opportunities abroad.
Nation has learnt that junior athletes who have no agents have been a target of the unscrupulous officials, who jump at the chance to link them up with opportunistic athletics agents and representatives who then fund and facilitate change of citizenship for them to represent foreign countries. The most popular destinations for such athletes have been Bahrain, the United States of America, and Kazakhstan.
Because the athletes involved are juniors, such unscrupulous officials circumvent athlete eligibility rules established by World Athletics, the global body that runs athletics, for personal benefit by way of kick-backs.
Athletics Kenya’s director for Youth and Development, Mr Barnaba Korir, said the federation complies with eligibility rules set by World Athletics.
“Countries or federations have no power to control the shifting of allegiance. Athletes apply to the world governing body who carry out their own investigations and then inform the local federation about the intention by the athletes to change citizenship,” said Mr Korir.
“To tell the truth we have a big number of athletes in Kenya and some change citizenship just to get a chance of participating in global events. We saw many athletes at the just concluded Olympic Games. Of course Winfred Yavi stood out because she won gold in the 3,000m steeplechase race, but everything depends on the world governing body,” added Mr Korir.
The talent flight has seen some Kenyan-born athletes bag medals for their adopted countries during the just-concluded Olympic Games in Paris as well as in past global competitions.
They include Norah Jeruto who won gold in steeplechase for her adopted country at the 2022 World Athletics Championships, and who represented Kazakhstan at the 2024 Olympic Games alongside her sister Daisy Jepkemei.
Kenya's Beatrice Chepkoech (right) congratulates Bahrain's Winfred Yavi after the women's 3,000m steeplechase final during the World Athletics Championships in Budapest on August 27, 2023.
In women’s marathon, Delvine Meringor and Joan Melly represented Romania, Eunice Chumba and Rose Chelimo represented Bahrain, Lornah Salpeter represented Israel, while Ozbilen Kaan Kigen represented Turkey in men’s marathon.
But the most notable Kenyan-born athlete who won a medal at the Olympics for her adopted country is Winfred Yavi Mutile.
Although Kenya won a total of 11 medals; four gold, two silver and five bronze at the Olympic Games in Paris, it was not lost on Kenyan fans that Yavi, who was born in Makueni County, won gold for Bahrain in the women’s 3,000 metres steeplechase.
Norah Jeruto of Kazakhstan in action alongside Valerie Constien of United States and Luiza Gega of Albania during their Women's 3000m Steeplechase heat on August 04, 2024.
Competing for Bahrain in the final of the race on June 6 at France’s national stadium, Stade de France, Yavi won the water-and-barriers race in an Olympic record time of eight minutes and 52.76 seconds ahead of Ugandan runner Peruth Chemutai who took silver medal, and bronze medallist Faith Cherotich of Kenya. Kenya’s other representative in the race, world record holder Beatrice Chepkoech, finished in sixth place.
Afterwards, Yavi spoke of her joy in winning gold.
"This is like a dream come true. It's something special. It means a lot to me, and also to the country," she told journalists after the race.
Yavi won only the second gold medal at the Olympics for Bahrain. Kenyan-born Ruth Chebet won the first gold medal for Bahrain at the Olympics in the 2016 Games held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Yavi trains in Ngong, Kajiado County, at the Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi, and occasionally in Kapsabet in Nandi County.
Born in Ukia, Makueni County 24 years ago, Yavi changed citizenship from Kenyan to Bahraini at the age of 15, and became eligible to compete for Bahrain in August 2016.
As a junior athlete, Yavi unsuccessfully sought to represent Kenya and competed in various trials locally, but did not catch the eyes of the Kenyan selectors.
Her first major international race for Bahrain came at the 2017 World Athletics Championships in London, where she finished in eighth place in her then personal best time of 9:22.67.
In 2018, she claimed the bronze medal for Bahrain at the World Athletics Under-20 Championships in Tampere, Finland behind race winner Celliphine Chespol of Kenya, and silver medalist Peruth Chemutai of Uganda.
The same year, Yavi won gold medal for Bahrain at the 2018 Asian Games held in Jakarta, Indonesia, and bronze medal at the Continental Cup in Ostrava, Czech Republic.
In 2019, Yavi won two gold medals for Bahrain at the Arab Championships in Cairo, competing in the 3,000m steeplechase and in the 5,000m. Yavi also represented Bahrain at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha, finishing fourth in a race won by Beatrice Chepkoech of Kenya.
Yavi performed poorly while representing Bahrain at the Olympics for the first time, finishing 10th in the women’s 3,000m final at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. She also finished fourth at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
Last year, she won four gold medals for Bahrain while competing at the 2023 Arab Games in Algeria (3,000m steeplechase), the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary (3,000m steeplechase), and at the Asian Games held in Hangzhou, China (1,500m and 3,000m steeplechase).
Other Kenyan athletes who have switched citizenship to other countries are Qatari Saif Saheed Shaheen (born Stephen Cherono) who broke 19-year-old world record in men’s 3,000m steeplechase in 2004. He became Qatari in 2003.
Shaheen won two world titles for Bahrain over the distance; at the 2003 and 2005 editions of the World Athletics Championships in Paris, and Helsinki respectively.
Kenyan-born Bernard Lagat changed citizenship to American in 2005, and won world titles for his adopted country in men’s 1,500m and in 5,000m.
World Athletics guidelines stipulate that an athlete may represent another country with the approval of World Athletics in accordance with the set regulations. Among the conditions is a three-year waiting period.
“Regulations on Eligibility to Represent a Member in National Representative Competitions, which approval shall be conditional upon the athlete observing a waiting period of three years from the date that the application for approval is made to World Athletics (during which period the Athlete must not represent any other Member in National Representative Competition or compete in any Other Relevant Competition),” the global body says in its website.
Athletes willing to change citizenship are also required to demonstrate that they are aged 20 and over as at the end of the waiting period.
World Athletics may permit the athlete to transfer allegiance a second time, but only back to the original country.
