Nairobi To Make History As First African Host Of World Athletics Championships

Nairobi will host the 2029 World Athletics Championships after beating bids from London, Munich and Rome to become the first African city to stage the global outdoor athletics showpiece.

World Athletics announced the decision on Tuesday following a Council meeting in Budapest, Hungary, host of the recently concluded Ultimate Championship.

Munich was awarded the 2031 championships, while Beijing will host the 2027 edition.

World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said the decision followed a competitive bidding process involving four outstanding proposals.

“Taking our championships to Africa for the first time will be historic. Nairobi has presented a compelling and an emotional bid,” Coe told a press conference.

The Briton said the decision would allow the championships to be staged in Asia, Africa and Europe over the next three editions.

“It was important that the world championship should come to Africa when we had the right host, the right bid, and the right circumstances,” he added.

Coe said Nairobi’s successful bid would help accelerate the development of athletics in Kenya and across the continent.

“Nairobi has demonstrated emphatically that this is their moment to supercharge the development of our sport in Kenya and across Africa, leaving a compelling legacy that inspires a continent,” he said.

Kenya had previously failed in its bid to host the 2025 championships, which were awarded to Tokyo.

The country has, however, hosted several major athletics events, including the 2007 World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa, the 2017 World Under-18 Championships in Nairobi and the 2021 World Under-20 Championships in the capital.

The 2029 championships will mark a historic milestone for African athletics, with Nairobi set to become the first African host of the senior World Athletics Championships.