Nairobi will host the 2029 World Athletics Championships, becoming the first African city to stage the sport’s biggest global event.
Munich, Germany, has been chosen to host the 2031 edition. The decisions were made during the 242nd World Athletics Council Meeting in Budapest on July 14-15.
The championships will come to Africa for the first time in 2029 before returning to Germany two years later, with Munich’s Olympic Stadium set to host the 2031 competition.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said the Council had four strong bids to consider.
“We were fortunate to have four outstanding bids for 2029 and 2031, and this was not an easy decision for the Council,” said Coe.
“The quality, ambition and commitment demonstrated by all four candidates underlines the strength and global appeal of the World Athletics Championships.”
Coe said the selections were consistent with World Athletics’ effort to take its championships to different parts of the world.
“With this Council decision today, we continue to fulfil our mission of growing athletics worldwide with the hosting of our World Athletics Championships in Asia, Africa and Europe over its next three editions.”
He described Nairobi and Munich as different but strong proposals.
“Nairobi and Munich ultimately presented two compelling propositions. They offer very different but equally exciting opportunities for our sport, and I am delighted that we can now begin working with both cities to stage two world-class championships.”
Nairobi’s path to the bid
Nairobi’s selection follows several major international athletics competitions that have been held in Africa.
Kampala hosted the World Cross Country Championships in 2017, while Nairobi hosted the World U18 Championships later that year and the World U20 Championships in 2021.
In 2026, Gaborone hosted the World Athletics Relays, becoming the first African city to stage the event.
Kenya has also built experience through other major competitions. Mombasa hosted the World Cross Country Championships in 2007, while Nairobi has continued to stage international meetings, including the Kip Keino Classic.
The Kip Keino Classic has been part of the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold since the tour was launched in 2020.
Nairobi previously bid for the 2025 World Athletics Championships, but Tokyo was selected. Infrastructure was identified as one of the weaknesses of Kenya’s earlier bid.
For 2029, Kenya pointed to upgrades to existing facilities and its record of hosting international competitions as part of its case.
Kasarani Stadium is undergoing a complete structural overhaul ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, which Kenya will co-host with Tanzania and Uganda. The football tournament will take place two years before the World Athletics Championships.
The 2029 proposal also included operational planning, financial guarantees and plans for the renovated stadium.
A strong athletics market
Kenya’s bid was also supported by the country’s large following for athletics.
World Athletics fan research found that 68 percent of Kenyans surveyed rated their interest in athletics as high, compared with a global average of 39 percent.
Kenya recorded the highest net promoter score among the markets surveyed. Athletics is also the country’s second-most-followed sport after football, while Kenya ranks fourth among countries by followers of World Athletics’ social media channels.
The country has also maintained a strong record at the World Athletics Championships.
Kenya is the second-most-successful nation in the competition’s history. At the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25, it finished second on the medal table with seven gold medals and 11 medals overall.
Coe cited Kenya’s athletes and history as part of the reason Nairobi was selected.
“Nairobi presented a compelling and emotional bid, and taking the World Athletics Championships to Africa for the first time will be historic,” said Coe.
“Kenya is one of the great athletics nations. The sport is woven into the fabric of the country, and athletes such as world gold medallists Faith Kipyegon, Vivian Cheruiyot, Eliud Kipchoge, Hellen Obiri and David Rudisha, as well as two-time Olympic champion Kip Keino, multiple world cross-country champion Paul Tergat and multiple world half marathon champion Tegla Loroupe, have shaped the history of our sport.”
Coe said Nairobi had now presented the conditions World Athletics was looking for in an African host.
“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.”
