Development
Can I compete for the Cook Islands? Who is eligible to represent Athletics Cook Islands
Many athletes with Cook Islands roots live and train in New Zealand, Australia and further afield, and we are often asked the same question: can I compete for the Cook Islands? Here is the short answer, and how to start.
Do I have to live in the Cook Islands?
No, not if you were born in the Cook Islands or a parent or grandparent was born there. Living in the Cook Islands is one way to become eligible, but it is not the only one.
Cook Islanders hold New Zealand citizenship, so a New Zealand passport does not rule you out.
Who is eligible?
Athletics Cook Islands follows the World Athletics eligibility rules for national representation. You can be eligible to represent the Cook Islands if you are a citizen through one of these:
- being born in the Cook Islands, or having a parent or grandparent who was born there
- having lived in the Cook Islands for at least three years in a row
- being a Cook Islands permanent resident
You will need to show a valid passport and/or other official documents issued by the Cook Islands authorities.
I have already competed for another country
If another country has already entered you in an international championship, such as a World Athletics or Oceania championship or the athletics at the Olympic or Commonwealth Games, you cannot simply switch. Changing countries is called a transfer of allegiance, and it needs World Athletics approval.
World Athletics requires a three-year waiting period from the date of the application, during which you cannot represent any country. You must be 20 or over by the end of it, and you must show a genuine, close link to the Cook Islands.
Competing for a club is not representing a country.
Being eligible is the first step
Eligibility means you can be considered. Selection for each team follows the Athletics Cook Islands selection policy, including the Cook Islands qualification standards.
You do not have to travel to qualify. Events on the official Athletics New Zealand, Athletics Australia and Oceania Athletics calendars count as qualifying events, so you can chase a standard where you live and train.
Some teams have extra rules. For example, the 2026 New Zealand Secondary Schools team is for students attending secondary school in the Cook Islands.
How to start
Write to Athletics Cook Islands. Every case is reviewed individually, and requests must be in writing. Tell us:
- your name, age and events, and where you train
- how you are connected to the Cook Islands, for example who in your family was born there
- whether you have ever been entered by another country in an international competition
- your best recent results
This is a plain-English guide, not the rules themselves. Rules can change and every case is different, so if anything here is unclear, check with ACI before you make plans.