Kenya will host the World Athletics Championships in 2029. This announcement was made on Tuesday by World Athletics, the global governing body for the sport.
Four bids, two cities. Nairobi and Munich will host the athletics competitions in 2029 and 2031 respectively. This news was shared during a press conference by Sebastian Coe, president of World Athletics. London and Rome were also among the candidate cities. “Hosting our World Championships for the first time on African soil is a landmark moment. Nairobi presented a compelling and heartfelt bid. The city has proven that it is the right time to give a new impetus to the development of our sport in Kenya and across the African continent, with the promise of a strong legacy that can inspire an entire region,” said Sebastian Coe.
For the former world champion, Nairobi is an “excellent candidate, an ideal host.” The Kenyan capital had previously missed the opportunity to host the competition in 2025. However, it has some experience in organizing international athletics competitions, having already hosted the African Championships in 2010, as well as the U18 World Championships in 2017 and U20 in 2021, which are major assets for Kenya.
“Building on the experience gained from its bid for the 2025 edition, the Nairobi team learned from its mistakes and presented a much stronger proposal. It notably relies on the Kasarani Stadium, which is currently undergoing modernization in preparation for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations,” concluded Sebastian Coe.
