The selection was confirmed by the World Athletics Council following its meeting in Budapest, where Nairobi successfully won the bid over competing cities London and Rome, while Germany’s Munich was awarded the 2031 championships. Anchor text for [External Link: World Athletics Council Announcement]. Central to Kenya’s compelling presentation was its unmatched athletics legacy.
As the second-most-successful nation in World Athletics Championships history, Kenya has earned an astounding 72 World Championship gold medals and 38 Olympic gold medals, predominantly across middle- and long-distance events. The country’s global reputation has been shaped by iconic distance runners, including five-time World Champion and three-time Olympic gold medalist Faith Kipyegon, two-time Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge, David Rudisha, Hellen Obiri, Vivian Cheruiyot, and Kip Keino. Kipchoge was directly involved in advocating for Nairobi during the bidding process.
At the center of the 2029 event will be Nairobi’s 48,000-capacity Kasarani Stadium. Although Kenya previously missed out to Tokyo for the 2025 championships due to infrastructure gaps, the country addressed these concerns through significant facility investments. African Infrastructure and Stadium Developments]. Kasarani Stadium is currently undergoing a complete structural overhaul as part of Kenya’s preparations to co-host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations alongside Uganda and Tanzania. This extensive renovation guarantees that Nairobi will possess a fully modernized venue two years later for the global athletics showcase.
Nairobi’s bid was further strengthened by its proven host track record. The capital previously organized the World U18 Championships in 2017 and the World U20 Championships in 2021, and has hosted the annual Kip Keino Classic—a major World Athletics Continental Tour Gold event—since 2020. These achievements build upon earlier major athletics competitions held across the continent, including the 2007 World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa, the 2017 edition in Kampala, Uganda, and the 2026 World Athletics Relays in Gaborone, Botswana.
The deep passion for track and field among local fans also served as a decisive factor. World Athletics research indicates that 68% of surveyed Kenyans have a high interest in athletics—far surpassing the global average of 39% making track and field the nation's second-most followed sport after football. Expressing enthusiasm for the decision, World Athletics President Sebastian Coe described Nairobi’s bid as "compelling and emotional," stating: "Taking the World Athletics Championships to Africa for the first time will be historic". Coe added, "Kenya is one of the great athletics nations. The sport is woven into the fabric of the country". Highlighting the importance of readiness, Coe noted: "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".
Hosting the 2029 World Athletics Championships is a historic breakthrough that highlights Africa's capability to stage elite global tournaments. As renovations at Kasarani Stadium progress, sports fans across the continent can look forward to witnessing track and field history on home soil. What are your thoughts on Africa hosting its first-ever World Athletics Championships? Leave your comments below, share this article with fellow sports fans, and subscribe for more African sports updates!
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