KINGSTON, Jamaica — In a surprising improvement that continues to ship tremors by way of the island’s sporting neighborhood, Jaydon Hibbert, Jamaica’s world-record-holding triple soar sensation, is now the third elite Jamaican athlete confirmed to be switching allegiance to Turkey, following Olympic throwers Roje Stona and Rajindra Campbell.
At simply 20 years outdated, Hibbert has already etched his identify in observe and area historical past. He holds the World U20 report within the triple soar (17.87m), secured gold on the 2023 NCAA Championships, and narrowly missed the rostrum on the Paris Olympics, ending fourth with a leap of 17.61m.
Hibbert’s departure means he might be ineligible to signify Jamaica for the following three years, sidelining him from world occasions resembling this 12 months’s World Athletics Championships in Tokyo and the 2028 Olympic Video games in Los Angeles. The rule, set by World Athletics, stipulates a compulsory three-year watch for athletes switching nationwide allegiance except waived by each nations and the IOC.
Golden duo Stona and Campbell already dedicated
Hibbert now joins illustrious firm in his swap. Roje Stona, who made historical past on the 2024 Paris Olympics as Jamaica’s first-ever Olympic champion in a throwing occasion (discus), and Rajindra Campbell, who captured bronze within the males’s shot put, have reportedly already signed their agreements with Turkey.
The monetary incentives behind these switches are nothing wanting eye-watering. Every athlete is reportedly receiving a US$500,000 signing bonus, month-to-month stipends, and six-figure podium incentives — a part of an aggressive recruitment drive by Turkey’s Sports activities Ministry geared toward bolstering its Olympic medal tally forward of Los Angeles 2028.
A fourth Jamaican, Olympic and World Championship silver medallist Wayne Pinnock, can also be rumored to be on Turkey’s radar, though his standing has not but been confirmed.
Turkey’s expertise seize: A technique years within the making
This isn’t the primary time Turkey has drawn prime expertise from Jamaica’s deep athletics properly. Sprinter Jak Ali Harvey, previously generally known as Jacques Harvey, made headlines when he switched allegiance to Turkey in 2015. His transfer paved the best way for a quiet, long-term technique by the Turkish Athletics Federation to naturalize medal-ready athletes from elite packages around the globe.
In a latest interview with TVJ’s Kayon Raynor, Onder Özbilən, a senior advisor with Türkiye’s Sports activities Ministry, confirmed that contact has been made with a number of athletes.
“Sure, we’re in discussions,” Özbilən acknowledged. “Our intention is to raise our aggressive profile on the worldwide stage, and we now have lengthy admired Jamaica’s athletic expertise.”
Özbilən had reassured that the strategy didn’t embody any sprinters.
JAAA in the dead of night or in denial?
Whereas the worldwide headlines scream defection, the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Affiliation (JAAA) seems blindsided — or maybe unwilling to acknowledge the gravity of the scenario.
When contacted for remark, JAAA President Garth Gayle issued a quick and considerably dismissive response to the Gleaner: “So far as we’re involved, these are simply allegations being stated within the public area. The JAAA has acquired no documentation, and that’s all I’ll say on the matter.”
However with Stona conspicuously absent from the entry checklist for Jamaica’s upcoming Nationwide Championships, and with Campbell listed however unlikely to compete, the writing appears to be on the wall.
Time is operating out. To compete at Los Angeles 2028, athletes should full their transfers earlier than the tip of June to fulfill the three-year ready interval.
A historical past of expertise drain
Jamaica isn’t any stranger to high-profile allegiance switches. Among the many most well-known is Merlene Ottey, the dash legend who moved to Slovenia in 2002 and represented the European nation for over a decade.
Others who’ve opted out of the Jamaican system embody:
- Shericka Williams and Brandon Simpson (to Bahrain),
- Andrew Fisher and Kemarley Brown (additionally to Bahrain),
- And once more, Jak Ali Harvey, the early trailblazer for Jamaicans in Turkey.
What separates the present wave from the previous, nonetheless, is the scale, timing, and uniformity of the transfer — three elite male athletes in area occasions, all Olympic medalists, reportedly making the identical leap in unison.
Past the rostrum: Nationwide reflection required
Whereas followers could really feel betrayed and officers could declare shock, the deeper subject could lie inside the construction and incentives of Jamaica’s personal athletic program. If the athletes’ accounts are correct, then their departure was not only for cash, however for assets, recognition, and a clearer path to improvement.
These defections ought to immediate pressing reflection from the JAAA and Jamaican sporting authorities. Shedding three globally ranked athletes in a single fell swoop is just not a mere coincidence — it’s a symptom of one thing systemic.
Except adjustments are made to help elite athletes — not simply with delight and patriotism, however with actual, tangible backing — Turkey is probably not the final flag Jamaican stars select to lift.
