Nairobi to Host 2029 World Athletics Championships, Making History for Africa

Nairobi will host the 2029 World Outdoor Athletics Championships. This makes it the first African city to do so. The announcement came on Tuesday after Nairobi beat London, Munich, and Rome in the bid process.

The 2031 championships will take place in Munich. This was announced after a council meeting in Budapest, which also hosted the recent Ultimate Championship.

World Athletics president Sebastian Coe spoke at a press conference. He said, "We were fortunate to have four outstanding bids for 2029 and 2031, and this was not an easy decision for the Council."

Beijing has already been awarded the 2027 event.

Coe added, "This council decision today means we’re able to deliver our World Athletics Championships in Asia, Africa, and Europe over its next three editions." He also mentioned, "Taking our championships to Africa for the first time will be historic. Nairobi has presented a compelling and emotional bid."

He said, "It was important that the world championship 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 to supercharge the development of our sport in Kenya and across Africa, leaving a compelling legacy that inspires a continent."

Kenya had previously failed in its bid for the 2025 World Championships. However, the country has hosted several major events. These include the 2007 World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa, the World under-18 Championships in Nairobi in 2017, and the World under-20 Championships in the capital in 2021.

Nairobi also hosted the 2010 African Athletics Championships. Coe remarked, "Athletics is woven into the fabric of Kenya." He highlighted world and Olympic middle-distance star Faith Kipyegon as one of many Kenyan athletes who have shaped the history of the sport. He praised the high level of fan engagement in Kenya.

Salim Mvurya, the Kenyan cabinet secretary, said the decision shows that "the global athletics family has affirmed Kenya’s place at the heart of World Athletics."

He added, "The world will come to a country where running is more than competition. It is our national story, and where every generation believes that the next world champion can emerge from Kenya."

Turning to Munich, Coe said, "Germany has proved time and time again that it is an outstanding and creative host for major athletics events. We know Germany has an audience for athletics, and we know Munich 2031 has all the ingredients to be a spectacular World Athletics Championships."

Coe downplayed the fact that three consecutive world championships would be held outside Europe. He acknowledged Europe as a track and field heartland but emphasized the need for global representation.

He stated, "We openly accept that it is in large part the breadbasket of our sport. But we do also have a responsibility to make sure that an international governing federation, made up of well over 200 federations, has the opportunity to take our championships into areas that strategically we think will actually grow the footprint of our sport."