NAIROBI IT IS! — Kenya lands 2029 World Athletics Championships

Nairobi has been chosen to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships, handing Kenya and the African continent a landmark sporting moment as the city becomes the first African host of the senior global track and field championships.

World Athletics announced the decision following its Council meeting in Budapest, Hungary, on September 15, with Munich, Germany, awarded the 2031 edition. Beijing, China, will host the 2027 championships.

The Nairobi decision means the World Athletics Championships will be staged in Africa for the first time since the competition was launched in 1983. World Athletics President Sebastian Coe described Kenya’s bid as compelling and emotional, citing the country’s deep-rooted connection with athletics.

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

World Athletics said Nairobi and Munich ultimately presented compelling propositions after a competitive bidding process involving four candidates. The decision now brings the sport’s flagship global championship to a country whose international sporting identity has long been associated with athletics, particularly middle- and long-distance running.

For Kenya, the award also represents the culmination of an earlier bid to host the 2025 World Athletics Championships, which went to Tokyo. The experience from that campaign helped Nairobi return with a strengthened proposal and greater experience in staging major international athletics events.

At the centre of the preparations is the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, which is undergoing a major redevelopment. The stadium is being structurally overhauled ahead of Kenya’s hosting responsibilities for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations and is expected to serve as the main venue for the 2029 World Athletics Championships.

Nairobi already has a growing record of hosting major international athletics competitions. The city staged the World Athletics Under-18 Championships in 2017 and the World Athletics Under-20 Championships in 2021. Kenya has also hosted the World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa, while Nairobi’s Kip Keino Classic has established itself as one of Africa’s leading one-day athletics meetings.

The 2029 championships, however, will be on an entirely different scale.

Thousands of athletes, coaches, officials, international media representatives and spectators are expected to converge on Nairobi, placing demands on accommodation, transport, security, training facilities, athlete services and event infrastructure.

World Athletics said Nairobi’s bid combined operational planning and financial guarantees with the redevelopment of Kasarani and a strong vision for bringing the championships to Africa for the first time. The governing body also pointed to Kenya’s exceptional connection with athletics and the country’s record at the World Athletics Championships.

That connection has been built over generations. Kenya has produced some of the sport’s most celebrated athletes, including Olympic and world champions whose achievements have helped make distance running a central part of the country’s sporting identity.

Coe specifically cited athletes including Faith Kipyegon, Vivian Cheruiyot, Eliud Kipchoge, Hellen Obiri, David Rudisha, Kip Keino, Paul Tergat and Tegla Loroupe as part of Kenya’s contribution to the history of athletics.

For Kenyan athletes, the opportunity to compete for world titles on home soil will add another dimension to the championship. The event is also expected to provide a major platform for inspiring young athletes in Kenya and across Africa.

Beyond the track, Nairobi 2029 is likely to create opportunities for the tourism, hospitality, transport and business sectors as international visitors arrive for the championships. The event will also place renewed focus on Kenya’s sporting infrastructure and its ability to organise major global competitions.

But with the hosting rights secured, the focus now shifts from winning the bid to delivering the championship.

Kenya will have to sustain investment and coordination in infrastructure, accommodation, transport, security, training venues, technology, medical services and other areas required to stage a global sporting event.

The journey to Nairobi 2029 will also be watched closely across Africa, where the awarding of the championships represents a significant step in the continent’s growing role in global athletics.

Nairobi has already demonstrated its ability to host international competitions. The 2017 World Under-18 Championships drew large crowds to Kasarani, while the 2021 World Under-20 Championships further strengthened the city’s experience.

World Athletics said those events, alongside other major competitions staged across Africa, have helped build the continent’s expertise in hosting global athletics events.

Now, the biggest test yet is coming.

When the world’s leading track and field athletes arrive in Nairobi in 2029, they will be competing for world titles while taking part in a championship that will write a new chapter in the history of the sport.

Nairobi is ready for its moment. Africa is ready for its first World Athletics Championships. And Kenya now has three years to turn the historic award into a championship to remember.