Nairobi has been selected to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships, making Kenya the first African country to stage the global outdoor track and field event.
World Athletics announced the decision following a council meeting in Budapest, with Nairobi’s bid beating competition from London, Munich and Rome.
The 2031 World Athletics Championships will be held in Munich, while Beijing has already been awarded the 2027 edition.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said the decision would see the championships held across Asia, Africa and Europe over the next three editions.
“Taking our championships to Africa for the first time will be historic. Nairobi has presented a compelling and emotional bid,” Coe told reporters.
He said the event’s arrival in Africa was timely, adding that Nairobi had demonstrated it was ready to use the championships to further develop athletics in Kenya and across the continent.
“It was important that the world championship should come to Africa when we had the right host, the right bid and the right circumstances,” Coe said.
“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 previously bid unsuccessfully to host the 2025 World Championships but has staged several major athletics competitions, including the 2007 World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa, the 2017 World Under-18 Championships and the 2021 World Under-20 Championships, both in Nairobi.
The Kenyan capital also hosted the 2010 African Athletics Championships.
Renovated Kasarani Stadium
Coe said Nairobi’s experience from its previous bid helped strengthen its latest proposal, alongside the ongoing renovation of Kasarani Stadium.
The stadium is undergoing a major overhaul ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
“Having also been part of the bidding process for 2025, the Nairobi team understood and grasped what was required, and came back with a stronger proposition, and a renovated Kasarani Stadium,” Coe said.
He also highlighted Kenya’s deep athletics culture and the country’s strong fan engagement, citing Olympic and world champion Faith Kipyegon among the athletes who have helped shape the history of the sport.
Kenyan Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya said the decision affirmed the country’s prominent place in global athletics.
“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,” Mvurya said.
Munich to Host 2031 Championships
Munich, which last hosted the European Athletics Championships in 2022, will stage the 2031 World Athletics Championships.
Coe described Germany as an experienced and creative host of major athletics events, adding that Munich had the infrastructure and audience to deliver a successful championship.
“Germany has proved time and time again that it is an outstanding and creative host for major athletics events,” he said.
“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 also defended the decision to take three consecutive editions outside Europe, despite acknowledging the continent’s importance to athletics.
He said World Athletics had a responsibility to expand the sport’s global reach and give its more than 200 member federations opportunities to host major competitions in regions where the sport could grow.
Meanwhile, Coe said there had already been significant interest in hosting the 2028 edition of the Ultimate Championship, a new three-day season-ending event featuring leading athletes from around the world.
“There’s already heightened interest in wanting to stage those championships,” he said.
