Nairobi has secured the 2029 World Athletics Championships, opening a new chapter for Kenya and making history as Africa prepares to host the senior global athletics showpiece for the first time.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe announced the decision on Tuesday following the 242nd World Athletics Council meeting in Budapest, Hungary, where Nairobi was selected ahead of bids from Munich, Rome and London.
The decision means the World Athletics Championships will be staged on African soil for the first time, giving Kenya an opportunity to bring the world’s top athletes to a country with a long and rich athletics tradition.
Coe said the bidding process for the 2029 and 2031 championships attracted strong interest, making the final decision a competitive one.
“We were fortunate to have four outstanding bids for 2029 and 2031, and this was not an easy decision for the Council,” Coe said.
“The quality, ambition and commitment demonstrated by all four candidates underlines the strength and global appeal of the World Athletics Championships.”
He said awarding the championships to Nairobi and Munich was also in line with World Athletics’ goal of taking the sport to more parts of the world.
“With this Council decision today, we continue to fulfil our mission of growing athletics worldwide with the hosting of our World Athletics Championships in Asia, Africa and Europe over its next three editions.”
The 2029 championships will be held in Nairobi, while Munich will host the 2031 edition.
Coe praised the two successful cities, saying both presented strong proposals and offered different opportunities for the growth of the sport.
“Nairobi and Munich ultimately presented two compelling propositions. They offer very different but equally exciting opportunities for our sport, and I am delighted that we can now begin working with both cities to stage two world-class championships.”
Nairobi’s selection builds on Kenya’s experience in hosting major World Athletics events. The capital staged the 2017 World U18 Championships and later hosted the 2021 World U20 Championships.
The 2029 championships will therefore give Kenya the chance to host the sport’s biggest global event on home soil while placing its athletics tradition before an international audience.
Kenya has built a strong reputation in global athletics, particularly through its success in distance running. The Nairobi event will also put the country’s athletics facilities and capacity to stage a major international competition in the spotlight.
The choice of Nairobi also marks a major milestone for African athletics, with the continent set to host the senior World Athletics Championships for the first time.
London had previously hosted the World Championships in 2017.