Saudi Arabia reportedly offers Kenyan marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge $1B to switch nationality

By Hong Duy November 29, 2025 | 03:00 pm PTSaudi Arabia is rumored to have offered Kenyan marathon great Eliud Kipchoge a giant financial package, including US$1 billion upfront, to convince him to change his nationality and compete for the Gulf nation.

The claim, first reported by Marathon Handbook, suggests that Saudi oil billionaire Khalid bin Al-Fahad offered Kipchoge a deal usually reserved for Formula 1 or football stars. In addition to the $1 billion upfront sum, the offer allegedly includes a variable bonus of up to $500 million over 10 years and the promise of a stadium named after him in Riyadh.

There has been no official response from Kipchoge's representative or the Saudi Arabian sports authority to the report and no contracts or documents have been made public.

If the rumor is true, this would be a remarkable step in Saudi Arabia's strategy to expand its influence in athletics. The move is viewed as part of a larger plan to raise the country's international status through sport, similar to investments in the Saudi Pro League with football stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, F1, heavyweight boxing, LIV Golf, and the formal partnership FIFA signed with Aramco in 2024, confirming Saudi Arabia as the host of the 2034 World Cup.

Eliud Kipchoge at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Photo by Instagram/@kipchogeeluid

Eliud Kipchoge at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Photo by Instagram/@kipchogeeluid

Recently, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has negotiated with World Athletics (WA), hinting at a strategic interest in the commercial potential of the most popular Olympic sport.

Kipchoge is widely regarded as the greatest marathon runner in history. He has won 11 major championships -- five in Berlin, four in London, one in Chicago and the other in Tokyo. He also clinched two Olympic gold medals. Kipchoge broke the world record twice before it was eventually surpassed by his late compatriot Kelvin Kiptum in 2023.

However, switching nationality in athletics is not easy. Any proposed change of nationality would be subject to the strict regulations of WA, which tightened its rules after a period of athletes changing allegiance for financial gain.

Under the current regulations, changes must be approved by the WA Nationality Review Panel (NRP). Athletes must prove they have legal nationality and a substantial connection to the new country, such as stable residence or a clear legal and personal tie. Athletes under 20 years of age are not allowed to change nationality to compete.

WA also limits the number of times athletes are allowed to change nationality. Under current rules, they can only do so once during their careers, except in cases where they want to return to represent their home country. This is a requirement to prevent athletes from being used as a form of transferable assets between countries.

In high-profile cases like Kipchoge, any proposed change of nationality from another country must also be subject to procedures of NRP.

Given Kipchoge’s long career with Kenya, any change would also be subject to a waiting period designed to ensure stability and transparency in international representation, while reducing the risk of commercialization of national representation.

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(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5804436&forum_id=2Elisa#49472239)