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Kuldeep Kumar sets new national pole vault record in Bhubaneswar

“If it is simply about wanting to move from one federation to another, that doesn’t fall into that criteria. We will remain tough,” Coe said.

“It’s very important, most federations rely very heavily on government investment and government investment will dry up if those governments think that they are investing in talent programmes for other countries.”

Letsile Tebogo, the 2024 Olympic 200 metres champion and the leading light of a talented crop of Botswanan sprinters, revealed in December that he has rebuffed offers to switch to Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Tunisia.

Botswana, a country of 2.5 million inhabitants which is largely desert, has experienced economic turbulence with the downturn of the global diamond market, which represents 30 percent of its GDP, but continues to inject funds into its successful athletics programme.

Published on May 02, 2026

#World #Athletics #president #Coe #vows #tough #athletes #seeking #nationality #switch"> World Athletics president Coe vows to be ‘tough’ on athletes seeking nationality switch World Athletics president Sebastian Coe has told AFP he will remain “tough” on the issue of athletes switching nationality after his federation blocked a bid by top Jamaicans and Kenyans to move to Turkey.The 2024 Olympic men’s discus champion Roje Stona from Jamaica, and a quintet of Kenyans including former women’s marathon world record-holder Brigid Kosgei, were among the 11 targeted by lucrative offers from Turkey.“The concept is very simple, there should be a very clear understanding and philosophy that the country an athlete starts their career in is the country that they finish their career in,” Coe said in an interview on Friday ahead of the World Athletics Relays event in Botswana.“And for global championships to have meaning and to have understanding, people need to witness championships where you have national-based competitions,” he added.Coe said a World Athletics panel examined every request to switch nationality and he accepted in some cases there would be circumstances in which it was acceptable, such as marriage or “political intolerance”.But he said Turkey’s bid to recruit elite athletes from other countries by offering them financial packages in a bid to boost its medal count at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics was the kind of move that would always be rejected.ALSO READ: Kuldeep Kumar sets new national pole vault record in Bhubaneswar“If it is simply about wanting to move from one federation to another, that doesn’t fall into that criteria. We will remain tough,” Coe said.“It’s very important, most federations rely very heavily on government investment and government investment will dry up if those governments think that they are investing in talent programmes for other countries.”Letsile Tebogo, the 2024 Olympic 200 metres champion and the leading light of a talented crop of Botswanan sprinters, revealed in December that he has rebuffed offers to switch to Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Tunisia.Botswana, a country of 2.5 million inhabitants which is largely desert, has experienced economic turbulence with the downturn of the global diamond market, which represents 30 percent of its GDP, but continues to inject funds into its successful athletics programme.Published on May 02, 2026 #World #Athletics #president #Coe #vows #tough #athletes #seeking #nationality #switch
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Kuldeep Kumar sets new national pole vault record in Bhubaneswar

“If it is simply about wanting to move from one federation to another, that doesn’t fall into that criteria. We will remain tough,” Coe said.

“It’s very important, most federations rely very heavily on government investment and government investment will dry up if those governments think that they are investing in talent programmes for other countries.”

Letsile Tebogo, the 2024 Olympic 200 metres champion and the leading light of a talented crop of Botswanan sprinters, revealed in December that he has rebuffed offers to switch to Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Tunisia.

Botswana, a country of 2.5 million inhabitants which is largely desert, has experienced economic turbulence with the downturn of the global diamond market, which represents 30 percent of its GDP, but continues to inject funds into its successful athletics programme.

Published on May 02, 2026

#World #Athletics #president #Coe #vows #tough #athletes #seeking #nationality #switch">World Athletics president Coe vows to be ‘tough’ on athletes seeking nationality switch

World Athletics president Sebastian Coe has told AFP he will remain “tough” on the issue of athletes switching nationality after his federation blocked a bid by top Jamaicans and Kenyans to move to Turkey.

The 2024 Olympic men’s discus champion Roje Stona from Jamaica, and a quintet of Kenyans including former women’s marathon world record-holder Brigid Kosgei, were among the 11 targeted by lucrative offers from Turkey.

“The concept is very simple, there should be a very clear understanding and philosophy that the country an athlete starts their career in is the country that they finish their career in,” Coe said in an interview on Friday ahead of the World Athletics Relays event in Botswana.

“And for global championships to have meaning and to have understanding, people need to witness championships where you have national-based competitions,” he added.

Coe said a World Athletics panel examined every request to switch nationality and he accepted in some cases there would be circumstances in which it was acceptable, such as marriage or “political intolerance”.

But he said Turkey’s bid to recruit elite athletes from other countries by offering them financial packages in a bid to boost its medal count at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics was the kind of move that would always be rejected.

ALSO READ: Kuldeep Kumar sets new national pole vault record in Bhubaneswar

“If it is simply about wanting to move from one federation to another, that doesn’t fall into that criteria. We will remain tough,” Coe said.

“It’s very important, most federations rely very heavily on government investment and government investment will dry up if those governments think that they are investing in talent programmes for other countries.”

Letsile Tebogo, the 2024 Olympic 200 metres champion and the leading light of a talented crop of Botswanan sprinters, revealed in December that he has rebuffed offers to switch to Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Tunisia.

Botswana, a country of 2.5 million inhabitants which is largely desert, has experienced economic turbulence with the downturn of the global diamond market, which represents 30 percent of its GDP, but continues to inject funds into its successful athletics programme.

Published on May 02, 2026

#World #Athletics #president #Coe #vows #tough #athletes #seeking #nationality #switch

World Athletics president Sebastian Coe has told AFP he will remain “tough” on the issue…

Olympic bronze medallist Alysha Newman suspended for missing doping tests

Andrew Sinclair, the scientist who discovered the gene, had said even ahead of the decision, the idea that biological sex is entirely defined by chromosomes is “overly simplistic”.

IOC president Kirsty Coventry, who succeeded Thomas Bach last year, had made resolving the thorny issue a priority after the 2024 Paris Games were rocked by a gender row involving women boxers Imane Khelif of Algeria and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting.

Khelif and Lin were excluded from the International Boxing Association’s 2023 world championships after the IBA said they had failed eligibility tests.

However, the IOC allowed them both to compete at the Paris Games, saying they had been victims of “a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA”.

Both boxers went on to win gold medals. Coe praised Coventry for taking the bull by the horns and coming up with a blanket policy to cover all Olympic sports.

“I’m delighted that the new president, Kirsty, has really, in her first few months as president, gone out of her way to protect the female category,” said the 69-year-old Englishman.

“If you don’t, then you don’t have women’s sport, and Kirsty, of all people, is going to protect women’s sport, so we are 100 per cent behind that position at World Athletics, it’s a position we took many years ago,” he added.

Published on May 01, 2026

#World #Athletics #president #Sebastian #Coe #hails #IOC #gender #testing #decision"> World Athletics president Sebastian Coe hails IOC gender testing decision World Athletics president Sebastian Coe told AFP that the International Olympic Committee’s decision in March to introduce testing for gender to determine eligibility to compete in the female category, preventing transgender women from competing, is a “very important development for the Olympic movement”.The screening will mean Olympic women’s sports from the 2028 Los Angeles Games will be limited to biological females, which would also rule out those with differences in sexual development (DSD).WA had already announced last July it was introducing the SRY gene test.“You know, I didn’t come into World Athletics for a popularity contest, I came in to do what I think is the right thing,” said Coe ahead of the World Athletics Relays being hosted in Gaborone, Botswana.“I’m delighted that the world is beginning to see it the way we did, but I think it’s a very important development for the Olympic movement, and I celebrate that,” he added.The announcement by the IOC of the reintroduction of the testing for the SRY gene did not meet with universal approval, with French Sports Minister Marina Ferrari saying it was “a step backwards”.ALSO READ | Olympic bronze medallist Alysha Newman suspended for missing doping testsAndrew Sinclair, the scientist who discovered the gene, had said even ahead of the decision, the idea that biological sex is entirely defined by chromosomes is “overly simplistic”.IOC president Kirsty Coventry, who succeeded Thomas Bach last year, had made resolving the thorny issue a priority after the 2024 Paris Games were rocked by a gender row involving women boxers Imane Khelif of Algeria and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting.Khelif and Lin were excluded from the International Boxing Association’s 2023 world championships after the IBA said they had failed eligibility tests.However, the IOC allowed them both to compete at the Paris Games, saying they had been victims of “a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA”.Both boxers went on to win gold medals. Coe praised Coventry for taking the bull by the horns and coming up with a blanket policy to cover all Olympic sports.“I’m delighted that the new president, Kirsty, has really, in her first few months as president, gone out of her way to protect the female category,” said the 69-year-old Englishman.“If you don’t, then you don’t have women’s sport, and Kirsty, of all people, is going to protect women’s sport, so we are 100 per cent behind that position at World Athletics, it’s a position we took many years ago,” he added.Published on May 01, 2026 #World #Athletics #president #Sebastian #Coe #hails #IOC #gender #testing #decision
Sports news

Olympic bronze medallist Alysha Newman suspended for missing doping tests

Andrew Sinclair, the scientist who discovered the gene, had said even ahead of the decision, the idea that biological sex is entirely defined by chromosomes is “overly simplistic”.

IOC president Kirsty Coventry, who succeeded Thomas Bach last year, had made resolving the thorny issue a priority after the 2024 Paris Games were rocked by a gender row involving women boxers Imane Khelif of Algeria and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting.

Khelif and Lin were excluded from the International Boxing Association’s 2023 world championships after the IBA said they had failed eligibility tests.

However, the IOC allowed them both to compete at the Paris Games, saying they had been victims of “a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA”.

Both boxers went on to win gold medals. Coe praised Coventry for taking the bull by the horns and coming up with a blanket policy to cover all Olympic sports.

“I’m delighted that the new president, Kirsty, has really, in her first few months as president, gone out of her way to protect the female category,” said the 69-year-old Englishman.

“If you don’t, then you don’t have women’s sport, and Kirsty, of all people, is going to protect women’s sport, so we are 100 per cent behind that position at World Athletics, it’s a position we took many years ago,” he added.

Published on May 01, 2026

#World #Athletics #president #Sebastian #Coe #hails #IOC #gender #testing #decision">World Athletics president Sebastian Coe hails IOC gender testing decision

World Athletics president Sebastian Coe told AFP that the International Olympic Committee’s decision in March to introduce testing for gender to determine eligibility to compete in the female category, preventing transgender women from competing, is a “very important development for the Olympic movement”.

The screening will mean Olympic women’s sports from the 2028 Los Angeles Games will be limited to biological females, which would also rule out those with differences in sexual development (DSD).

WA had already announced last July it was introducing the SRY gene test.

“You know, I didn’t come into World Athletics for a popularity contest, I came in to do what I think is the right thing,” said Coe ahead of the World Athletics Relays being hosted in Gaborone, Botswana.

“I’m delighted that the world is beginning to see it the way we did, but I think it’s a very important development for the Olympic movement, and I celebrate that,” he added.

The announcement by the IOC of the reintroduction of the testing for the SRY gene did not meet with universal approval, with French Sports Minister Marina Ferrari saying it was “a step backwards”.

ALSO READ | Olympic bronze medallist Alysha Newman suspended for missing doping tests

Andrew Sinclair, the scientist who discovered the gene, had said even ahead of the decision, the idea that biological sex is entirely defined by chromosomes is “overly simplistic”.

IOC president Kirsty Coventry, who succeeded Thomas Bach last year, had made resolving the thorny issue a priority after the 2024 Paris Games were rocked by a gender row involving women boxers Imane Khelif of Algeria and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting.

Khelif and Lin were excluded from the International Boxing Association’s 2023 world championships after the IBA said they had failed eligibility tests.

However, the IOC allowed them both to compete at the Paris Games, saying they had been victims of “a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA”.

Both boxers went on to win gold medals. Coe praised Coventry for taking the bull by the horns and coming up with a blanket policy to cover all Olympic sports.

“I’m delighted that the new president, Kirsty, has really, in her first few months as president, gone out of her way to protect the female category,” said the 69-year-old Englishman.

“If you don’t, then you don’t have women’s sport, and Kirsty, of all people, is going to protect women’s sport, so we are 100 per cent behind that position at World Athletics, it’s a position we took many years ago,” he added.

Published on May 01, 2026

#World #Athletics #president #Sebastian #Coe #hails #IOC #gender #testing #decision

World Athletics president Sebastian Coe told AFP that the International Olympic Committee’s decision in March…