By Dorcas Francis Koji
Kenya will make history as the first African nation to host the World Athletics Championships after Nairobi was awarded the rights to stage the 2029 edition of the global athletics showpiece.
World Athletics announced the decision on Tuesday following its 242nd Council Meeting in Budapest, Hungary, where Nairobi and Munich were selected from four bids submitted for the 2029 and 2031 championships.
Munich, Germany, will host the 2031 edition, while Nairobi’s successful bid will bring the prestigious World Athletics Championships to African soil for the first time.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe described the selection process as a difficult one, praising the quality and ambition displayed by all four candidate bids.
“We were fortunate to have four outstanding bids for 2029 and 2031, and this was not an easy decision for the Council,” Coe said.
He added that Nairobi and Munich eventually presented proposals that stood out and offered different but equally exciting opportunities for the sport.
“Nairobi and Munich ultimately presented two compelling propositions. They offer very different but equally exciting opportunities for our sport.
“I am delighted that we can now begin working with both cities to stage two world-class championships,” he said.
Coe particularly highlighted the significance of taking the championships to Africa for the first time, describing Kenya as one of the world’s leading athletics nations.
“Nairobi presented a compelling and emotional bid, and taking the World Athletics Championships to Africa for the first time will be historic.
“Kenya is one of the great athletics nations,” the World Athletics president said.
According to Coe, the organisation had been determined to bring its flagship championships to Africa when the right host, proposal and circumstances were in place.
“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.
“Nairobi has demonstrated emphatically that this is their moment,” he added.
The 2029 championships will represent a landmark moment for African athletics, with Kenya’s capital becoming the first African city to stage the premier global event.
Nairobi already has experience hosting major international athletics competitions. The city staged the 2020 World Athletics Continental Tour Gold Kip Keino Classic and the 2021 World Athletics U20 Championships.
Kenya’s selection further underlines the country’s long-standing prominence in global athletics and will provide the continent with an opportunity to showcase its athletes, facilities and capacity to host one of the sport’s biggest international events.
After Nairobi takes centre stage in 2029, Munich will host the World Athletics Championships two years later in 2031.
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