Athletics
Semenya welcome at world champs, says World Athletics’ boss, Coe
Caster Semenya, who will make her first appearance in a world championships in five years when she competes in the women’s 5,000m in Eugene, has every right to be there, World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said Tuesday (July 19).
The South African last competed at a world championships in London in 2017 where she won her third 800m world crown.
A year later she won double gold in the 800m and 1,500m at the Commonwealth Games which is the last time she represented South Africa in a global international competition.
Semenya was forced to switch from her favoured distance to the longer event due to gender eligibility rules that required her to take testosterone-reducing drugs to compete in races between 400m to a mile.
World Athletics bars women athletes with high testosterone levels from competing in shorter races because the governing body says the hormone increases muscle mass and oxygen uptake.
Semenya, who became a world champion at 18 years of age in Berlin in 2009, has made several unsuccessful legal attempts to overturn the ruling.
“She’s eligible to be here,” Coe said of Semenya, who initially missed qualification when she only finished sixth at the African Championships last month, but has benefited from a number of athletes dropping out.
“If she chooses to compete in a distance that is not a restricted distance that’s entrirely up to her and she’ll get the same treatment and same services as any athlete that’s legitimately here,” which she is.
Semenya is just one of a handful of “restricted” athletes in Oregon, but Coe insisted he didn’t want “these athletes to go away any time soon”.
“My whole approach to this has actually been about inclusivity. I didn’t come into the sport to stop people competing.”
Coe, who won two 1,500m Olympic gold for Britain in 1980 and 1984, stressed that gender eligibility rules would not be changed any time soon.
“We’ve always been guided by the science and science is pretty clear: we know that testosterone is the key determinant in performance,” he told news agencies.
“I’m really over having any more of these discussions with second-rate sociologists who sit there trying to tell me or the science community that there may be some issue. There isn’t, testosterone is the key determinant in performance.” Coe added that it was his “responsibility to protect the integrity of women’s sport”.
“We have two categories in our sport: one is age and one is gender.
“Age because we think it’s better that Olympic champions don’t run against 14-year-olds in community sports and gender because if you don’t have a gender separation no woman would ever win another sporting event.”
Coe said current restrictions on events from the 400m to the mile were “not set in tablets of stone”.
“If we find there’s an impact in other events, we will have to take that into consideration,” he said, adding that it was “not about an individual, not about a country, not about a continent”.
When asked whether a widening of restrictions was likely, Coe responded: “I’m not going to speculate on that because I will be guided on the science.
“Only when we have really understood the impact beyond the restricted list, then that’s on the table.”
-AFP
The London Marathon broke the record for the highest number of finishers in a marathon, with 59,830 participants completing the course to surpass the mark of 59,226 at last year’s New York City event.
Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe shattered the world record to become the first man to run the marathon in under two hours, followed by Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha, who also breached the two-hour barrier on Sunday.
“To then break the record of the largest number of finishers in the history of marathons underlines the inspirational nature of the London Marathon. We are incredibly proud to have set a new Guinness World Record,” said Hugh Brasher, CEO of London Marathon Events.
In the women’s race, three women ran under two hours and 16 minutes in a single race for the first time ever, as Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa defended her title by shattering her own women ‘s-only world record
-Reuters
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Nigeria has aligned with the global athletics community in supporting World Athletics’ decision to reject 11 applications for nationality transfer to Türkiye, a move that includes sprinter Favour Ofili and signals a broader clampdown on the recruitment of foreign athletes.
Diamond League – Final – Zurich – Zurich, Switzerland – August 27, 2025 Jamaica’s Rajindra Campbell in action during the men’s shot put final REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth
The ruling, announced on Thursday by World Athletics’ Nationality Review Panel, affects athletes from multiple countries and was based on findings that the applications were part of a coordinated, government-backed effort to bolster Türkiye’s international competitiveness ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Rather than a single case, Ofili’s situation forms part of a wider group that includes five Kenyan athletes — among them former marathon world record holder Brigid Kosgei — and four Jamaicans, including Olympic medallists Roje Stona and Rajindra Campbell. Russian heptathlete Sophia Yakushina was also among those denied eligibility.
Paris 2024 Olympics – Athletics – Men’s Discus Throw Victory Ceremony – Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France – August 08, 2024. Gold medallist Roje Stona of Jamaica celebrates on the podium. REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigie
London Marathon 2024 – Women’s Elite Press Conference – London, Britain – April 18, 2024 Kenya’s Brigid Kosgei poses for a photograph ahead of the London Marathon REUTERS/Peter Cziborra/File Photo
World Athletics stated that approving the applications would undermine key principles guiding the transfer of allegiance, particularly the need to maintain the integrity and credibility of national representation in global competitions.
“The panel found that the applications formed part of a coordinated recruitment strategy… to attract overseas athletes through lucrative contracts,” the governing body said.
For Nigeria, the decision is being viewed not as an isolated intervention but as part of a wider effort to protect countries that invest in developing athletes from grassroots to elite level, only to risk losing them to wealthier nations offering financial incentives.
Officials note that the rejection highlights growing concerns about the commercialisation of national allegiance in sport, where athletes are increasingly targeted through structured programmes designed to fast-track international success.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe has previously warned against such trends, stressing that nationality transfers must reflect genuine national ties rather than transactional arrangements.
The regulations governing athlete transfers were tightened in 2019 to prevent abuse and ensure fairness, following increasing cases of athletes switching allegiance under financially driven circumstances.
Although the applications were rejected, World Athletics clarified that the affected athletes — including Ofili — remain eligible to compete in one-day meetings, road races and club competitions, as well as live and train in Türkiye. However, they are barred from representing the country at major championships such as the Olympic Games and World Championships.
The decision is widely seen as a significant moment for global athletics, reinforcing the principle that national representation should be built on identity and development rather than financial inducement.
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A former president of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Chief Solomon Ogba, has commended World Athletics for rejecting the application by Nigerian sprinter Favour Ofili to switch allegiance to Türkiye.
World Athletics, through its Nationality Review Panel, on Thursday turned down Ofili’s request to represent the European nation, citing concerns over the integrity of international competitions and the growing trend of athlete recruitment driven by financial incentives.
Reacting to the decision, Ogba described the ruling as a victory for fairness and a strong message in defence of developing nations that invest heavily in nurturing athletic talent.
“This is justice not just for Nigeria but for many developing countries that work tirelessly to groom athletes, only for them to be lured away by wealthier nations,” Ogba said.
The panel, in its report, noted that granting the transfer would undermine key principles, including safeguarding the credibility of national representation and discouraging the systematic recruitment of foreign athletes for global competitions.
Ofili’s case was one of 11 applications submitted by the Turkish Athletics Federation, which World Athletics linked to a broader government-backed strategy to strengthen its team ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Despite having obtained Turkish citizenship and signing a lucrative club contract, Ofili remains ineligible to compete for Türkiye in major competitions such as the World Championships and the Olympic Games.
Ogba singled out World Athletics President Sebastian Coe for praise, describing him as a consistent ally of developing countries.
“How can a country nurture an athlete from grassroots level to elite status, only for another nation that showed no prior interest to come with financial inducements and take them away? It is unfair and must be discouraged,” he said.
The former AFN boss also advised athletes to remain focused and avoid making career decisions driven solely by short-term financial gains. He cited global stars such as Usain Bolt, Julien Alfred, and Eliud Kipchoge, who achieved success while representing their home countries.
Ogba further warned athletes against external pressures from managers and associates, urging them to consider the long-term implications of switching nationality.
“Many athletes who left Nigeria often return after retirement seeking support. The reality is that your home country offers opportunities beyond competition — as coaches, administrators, and mentors,” he added.
He concluded by urging Nigerian athletes to remain loyal and committed, stressing that while opportunities abroad may appear attractive, long-term security and identity remain tied to their country of origin.
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