How Athletes fit change dia kontri of allegiance?

BBC News

22-06-2025

Ova di years, di tori don be say athletes or sports pipo go travel go abroad to go compete under oda kontris flag.
Dis mata dey normally loud as e concern di Olympics, wey be di competition wey dey happun evri year.
No year, dis mata take clear as wen France win di 2018 Male World Cup wit about half of dia players wey get African ancestry.
Plenti reason dey wey go make some pipo decide say dem go compete for anoda kontri apart from dia kontri of origin and dem include athletes wey get dual citizenship and fit choose, athletes wey marry get different citizenship outside dia kontri of orgin and athletes wey don complain taya wit how di mata be for dia kontri sport federation.
Plenti Nigerians don dey di list of pipo wey bin compete in Nigeria bifor dem change dia kontri of allegiance.
For 1992, Christy Opara Thompson bin gbab bronze medal for di 1992 Olympics for Nigeria only for am to port go di US six years later sake of say she marry for dia.
In more recent times, Annette Echikunwoke port from Nigeria to go participate for di 2024 Paris Olympics under di flag of di United States of America and win silver medal for di women hammer throw. Dis one come afta she loss out for di Tokyo 2020 Olympics sake of say di federation no do out-of-competition drug testing requirements bifor di games. As she get dual citizenship since dem born her for Ohio, US na so she port o.
For 2014, Ebelechukwu Agbapuonwu switch commitment to Bahrain one year afta she compete for di 2013 School Sports for Port Harcourt, Rivers State and also for National Youth Games for Illorin.
Afta di move she change her name to Salwa Eid Naser and she gbab di silver medal for di women 400 metres for di 2024 Olympics. She sef get dual citizenship as her papa come from Bahrain.
How pesin fit take change kontri of allegiance
Di Global Sports Advocates download wetin dey needed by Olympics if to say pesin wan port from one kontri go anoda and in which scenarios.
Remember say for Olympics, for you to represent specific kontri mean say you don be citizen or national of di kontri you wan represent.
According to di Olympics Charter Rule 41 on participation pesin wey get citizenship for different kontris go fit choose under which flag e go contest inside but once e don participate for either Olympic games or even if na just, continental or regional games wey dey recognized by International Sports Federations (IF), e no fit just switch go anoda kontri like dat.
Di rule be say, "competitor wey don represent one kontri bifor wey don change nationality or get new nationality fit participate for di Olympic Games if three years don pass since im last represent im last kontri."
Caveat sha dey say di period fit dey reduced or cancelled sef if di IF and National Olympic Committees wey di competitor join hand agree but di mata still dey up to di International Olympic Committee Executive Board sha to take wetin cause di change into account.
World Athletics get dia own laws as e concern change of affiliation wey still get the three years mandate but change small in di way e dey apply am according to citizenship claims.
Dem say "di rules accept athletes affiliation abroad as long as dia original national federations approve am".
But dem add say, "for athletes wey don already represent one kontri for World Championships, Olympic Games, continental, regional or area championships and cups, more requirements dey for dem to fulfil".
Dem go on to tok am as say, "if athlete change citizenship through marriage, di transfer to di new kontri go dey wit immediate effect as long as di new kontri federation gree.
"Howeva, if di new citizenship no click wit di marriage, wia di athlete still dey chase am, dem no go fit compete for di new kontri for three years afta di date of di last time wey dem represent di old kontri".
But di World Athletics join bodi give small loophole for athletes to reduce di time dem go fit to compete. Dem tok say, "if di old and new federations join di WA to gree on top your mata, di three years fit reeduce to one".
All in all, dis fit be di best time for anyone wey wan participate for di USA 2028 Olympics to make dia japa moves.