Nairobi, Kenya, has been selected to host the 2029 World Outdoor Athletics Championships, marking the first time the global track and field championships will be held in Africa.
World Athletics announced the decision on Tuesday following a council meeting in Budapest, where Nairobi emerged ahead of competing bids from London, Munich and Rome.
Munich, Germany, will host the 2031 edition, while the 2027 World Championships have already been awarded to Beijing, China.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said the selection process was challenging due to the quality of the bids submitted for the 2029 and 2031 championships.
“We were fortunate to have four outstanding bids for 2029 and 2031, and this was not an easy decision for the Council,” Coe told a press conference.
He said the decisions would allow the championships to be staged across Asia, Africa and Europe over the next three editions.
“This council decision today means we’re able to deliver our World Athletics Championships in Asia, Africa and Europe over its next three editions,” the Briton added.
“Taking our championships to Africa for the first time will be historic. Nairobi has presented a compelling and emotional bid.”
Coe said Nairobi was chosen because it demonstrated that the city and Kenya were ready to host an event of such global significance.
“It was important that the world championship should come to Africa when we had the right host, the right bid and the right circumstances.
“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.”
Kenya Gets First World Athletics Hosting Rights
Kenya previously bid to host the 2025 World Championships but was unsuccessful.
The country, however, has considerable experience staging major athletics competitions. Mombasa hosted the 2007 World Cross Country Championships, while Nairobi hosted the World Under-18 Championships in 2017 and the World Under-20 Championships in 2021.
The Kenyan capital also hosted the 2010 African Athletics Championships.
Coe said the experience gained from the failed 2025 bid helped Nairobi strengthen its latest proposal and better understand the requirements for hosting the global championships.
Kasarani Stadium Set for Major Upgrade
Coe pointed to the renovation of Kasarani Stadium as another factor supporting Nairobi’s successful bid.
“Having also been part of the bidding process for 2025, the (Nairobi) team understood and grasped what was required, and came back with a stronger proposition, and a renovated Kasarani Stadium, which is currently undergoing a complete overhaul ahead of hosting the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2027,” said Coe.
He also highlighted Kenya’s deep connection with athletics and the country’s passionate fan base.
“Athletics is woven into the fabric of Kenya,” Coe added, name-dropping world and Olympic middle-distance star Faith Kipyegon as one of many Kenyan athletes to “have shaped the history of our sport” and also praising the “extraordinary” level of fan engagement in the East African country.
Kenyan Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya welcomed the decision, saying it confirmed Kenya’s position as a major force in international athletics.
“The global athletics family has affirmed Kenya’s place at the heart of World Athletics.
“The world will come to a country where running is more than competition. It is our national story, and where every generation believes that the next world champion can emerge from Kenya.”
Munich to Host 2031 Championships
Munich was selected to host the 2031 World Athletics Championships. The German city most recently hosted the 2022 European Athletics Championships at the Olympic Park.
Coe praised Germany’s track record of hosting major sporting events and expressed confidence that Munich would deliver a successful championship.
“Germany has proved time and time again that it is an outstanding and creative host for major athletics events.
“We know Germany has an audience for athletics, and we know Munich 2031 has all the ingredients to be a spectacular World Athletics Championships.”
World Athletics Expands Global Footprint
The decision means the next three editions of the World Athletics Championships will be staged outside Europe, with Beijing hosting in 2027, Nairobi in 2029 and Munich in 2031.
Coe acknowledged Europe’s importance to the sport but said World Athletics also had a responsibility to expand athletics’ reach globally.
“We openly accept that it is in large part the breadbasket of our sport.
“But we do also have a responsibility to make sure that an international governing federation, made up of well over 200 federations, has the opportunity to be able to take our championships into areas that strategically we think will actually grow the footprint of our sport.”
Coe also disclosed that there had already been significant interest in hosting the 2028 edition of the Ultimate Championship, a new three-day season-ending competition designed to bring together leading athletes.
“There’s already heightened interest in wanting to stage those championships,” he said.
The 2029 World Athletics Championships in Nairobi are expected to provide a major boost to athletics in Kenya and across Africa while giving the continent its first opportunity to host the sport’s premier outdoor global championship.
