Nairobi Makes History as Kenya Wins 2029 World Athletics Championships Bid

By Dorcas Francis Koji

Nairobi has secured the right to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships, making Kenya the first African country to stage the prestigious global athletics event.

The Kenyan capital defeated London in the bidding process to win the hosting rights, marking a historic breakthrough for African athletics and a major milestone for Kenya, one of the world’s most renowned athletics nations.

Kenya has established itself as a global powerhouse in distance running, producing legendary athletes across generations, but the country has never previously hosted an event on the scale of the World Athletics Championships.

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe described the decision as a significant moment for the sport, saying the organisation had received four strong bids 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 said.

“The quality, ambition and commitment demonstrated by all four candidates underlines the strength and global appeal of the World Athletics Championships.”

The 2029 championships will therefore make history by taking athletics’ biggest global event to Africa for the first time.

“Taking our championships to Africa for the first time will be historic,” Coe said. “Athletics is woven into the fabric of Kenya.”

Nairobi’s successful bid also comes at a significant time for the sport. The World Championships will return to the traditional full-format programme after the newly introduced Ultimate Championship, which featured an invitation-only field and substantial cash prizes.

The 2029 World Championships will be staged over 10 days and will feature the full range of athletics events, including the marathon, race walks, shot put and men’s triple jump.

Munich, Germany, has been selected to host the 2031 edition of the championships.

Coe also paid tribute to Kenya’s rich athletics heritage, highlighting a long list of athletes who have helped shape the sport’s history, including Faith Kipyegon, Vivian Cheruiyot, Eliud Kipchoge, Hellen Obiri, David Rudisha and two-time Olympic champion Kip Keino.

Other Kenyan legends mentioned by Coe included multiple world cross-country champion Paul Tergat and multiple world half-marathon champion Tegla Loroupe.

“It was important that the World Athletics Championships should come to Africa when we had the right host, the right bid and the right circumstances,” Coe added.

“Nairobi has demonstrated emphatically that this is their moment.”

The landmark decision is expected to further strengthen Kenya’s position as a leading athletics nation while giving Africa an unprecedented opportunity to showcase its passion, talent and organisational capacity on the biggest stage in world athletics.