World Athletics has officially cleared 400m sprinter Emmanuel Bamidele to represent the United Arab Emirates, completing his nationality transfer from Nigeria.
The 26-year-old is now listed as eligible on the governing body’s database and will make his debut under the UAE flag at the Brussels Diamond League finale.
He is scheduled to run in the men’s 400m invitational on Friday, a non-points race, against six Belgian athletes and Jamaica’s Antonio Watson.
Bamidele’s career has been anything but straightforward. In 2018, just weeks after winning the Nigerian Commonwealth Games trials in Abuja with a then-personal best of 45.28s, he abruptly left the national camp before the Gold Coast Games.
He later reappeared in Qatar and, by May 2019, was competing in Doha under Qatari colours, where he finished second in the Diamond League 400m at the Khalifa International Stadium.
After his stint with Qatar, Bamidele returned to the US collegiate circuit, first with Texas A&M in 2022 and later with the University of Florida.
He cemented his reputation as one of the NCAA’s standout quarter-milers, winning the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Championships in Texas with a lifetime best of 44.24s. That same year, he also secured second place at the Stockholm Diamond League while running once again for Nigeria.
Since making his debut as a teenager in 2015, when he clocked 49.32s at an Abuja All Comers meet, Bamidele has steadily progressed into a consistent sub-45 performer.
His latest move to the UAE marks the third phase of a globe-spanning career, having previously represented both Nigeria and Qatar.
