Kenya wins bid to host 2029 World Athletics Championships

Kenya will become the first African country to host the World Athletics Championships after winning the bid for the 2029 edition.

World Athletics announced the decision on Tuesday following its 242nd Council Meeting, held in Budapest, Hungary, on Monday and Tuesday.

Munich, Germany, was selected to host the 2031 Championships, with both cities emerging from four outstanding bids.

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said the Council faced a difficult decision because of the quality of the competing proposals.

“We were fortunate to have four outstanding bids for 2029 and 2031, and this was not an easy decision for the Council.

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

Mr Coe said Nairobi and Munich ultimately submitted compelling proposals that secured the hosting rights for the respective championships.

“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.

He described Kenya as one of the world’s great athletics nations and said taking the championships to Africa would be historic.

“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,” Mr Coe said.

The World Athletics president said the organisation wanted the championships to be hosted in Africa when the right conditions and a host were available.

“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 said.

The 2029 championships will mark the first time the flagship World Athletics event is staged on African soil.

READ ALSO: Bayelsa Athletics Association gets new chairman

Kenya’s successful bid also represents a significant milestone for Nairobi, which has previously hosted major international athletics competitions.

The decision strengthens Africa’s role in global athletics while allowing Kenya to showcase its rich athletics heritage on the world stage.

The 2031 Championships will subsequently move to Munich, giving World Athletics two hosts with different geographical and sporting contexts for its next editions.