Kenya to make key changes to 2029 World Athletics Championships facilities

By  Ayumba Ayodi

Correspondent

NMG Sport

What you need to know:

• The 48,000-seater Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani will be Kenya’s centrepiece of the championship.
• O’Callaghan’s visit lays the groundwork ahead of a possible visit by World Athletics president Sebastian Coe.

A fortnight after Kenya won hosting rights for the 2029 World Athletics Championships, global body World Athletics has set the ball rolling with a preliminary visit to Nairobi by top technical officials.

World Athletics Competition Director Pierce O’Callaghan arrived in Nairobi on Tuesday to help Athletics Kenya and the government set up the 2029 World Athletics Championships Local Organising Committee. 

O’Callaghan later told journalists that the venues Kenya has earmarked to use during the championship must meet ‘World Athletics Class 1 Facility Certificate’ status, a top-level official approval for outdoor athletics venues that meet all strict technical rules for elite international competitions
O’Callaghan also toured four venues that Kenya has earmarked to use in hosting the championships that will be staged in Africa for the first time.

“I am here to support (Athletics Kenya President) Jack Tuwei and his team and more so help them set the groundwork for the LOC formation,” O’Callaghan said after conducting a preliminary tour of the facilities.

The venues O’Callaghan visited include Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani that he described as “the jewel on the crown.” The 48,000-seater facility, fondly known ‘home of champions’ , will be Kenya’s centrepiece of the championship.

He also toured the Nyayo National Stadium, Ulinzi Sports Complex and Talanta Sports City (Raila Odinga International Stadium) warm up arena before paying a courtesy call on Principal Secretary for Sports, Elijah Mwangi.

“It’s a major event for Kenya and Africa, with no moment to lose. The bidding is over and we are here to put people in positions to start work immediately,” said O’Callaghan. “We are moving to operations, to give people responsibilities.”

O’Callaghan said the event will be a major logistical undertaking, with 1 billion people set to watch the event and athletes from 240 countries participating. 

“We shall have fans from over 120 countries visiting Kenya,” said O’Callaghan, who was accompanied by Athletics Kenya President Jack Tuwei, Kenya’s bid committee chairman Ibrahim Hussein, and the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) deputy president Barnaba Korir.

O’Callaghan’s visit lays the groundwork ahead of a possible visit by World Athletics president Sebastian Coe. Coe is expected in Nairobi in week’s time to sign the official contract, the Event Organisational Agreement (EOA), with the Kenyan government.

While welcoming O’Callaghan at his Talanta Plaza office, Mwangi declared that Kenya is ready to welcome the world. 

“But first things first, we shall have world class venues in place,” said Mwangi, explaining that all the adjustments will be made for all the venues to achieve “World Athletics Class 1 Facility Certificate” status.

The contract will detail the government’s financial obligation and funding, in addition to securing commercial sponsorships required to cover the cost of the championships.

Kenya will then move to the Operational Planning and Delivery Phase in which the Local Organising Committee (LOC) will be unveiled. The LOC will have a chairman, most preferably the Cabinet Secretary for Sports, and the Principal Secretary for Sports as his deputy and Chief Executive Officer.

World Athletics technical officials will also be part of the LOC to ensure international standards are adhered to across track configurations, timing technology, and anti-doping systems.

LOC will second professionals to Nairobi to manage operations, finance, and logistics. They will oversee the ongoing infrastructural upgrades, especially at the main competition arena and training venues.

Besides the LOC, there will be the formation of the Government and Stakeholders Coordination Committee to oversee funding, security, transport, and tourism plans. This will involve several government ministries.

Teams will map out international travel, coordinating elite accommodation, athlete transport corridors, media hubs, and medical testing facilities.

There will be the official flag-handover ceremony to Nairobi at 2027 World Athletics Championships in China to build global awareness ahead of the event in Kenya.

There will be test event or mock championships (international or local) to serve as operational test-runs to test stadium crowd flows, ticketing systems, and broadcast compatibility ahead of the championship.

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