Nairobi, Kenya has been picked to host the 2029 World Athletics championships, making histry as the first African nation to host such world event.
In a World Athletics Council meeting in Budapest Hungary, the World Athletics under President Sebastian Coe announced today that Africa its first-ever senior global athletics showpiece.
Coe revealed that the race to host both the 2029 and 2031 editions attracted exceptional interest, making the Council’s decision one of its most competitive in recent years.
“We were fortunate to have four outstanding bids for 2029 and 2031, and this was not an easy decision for the Council,” Coe said.
“The quality, ambition and commitment demonstrated by all four candidates underlines the strength and global appeal of the World Athletics Championships.”
“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.”
“The 2029 World Championships have been awarded to Nairobi, and the 2031 edition will be held in Munich.”
“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.”
Kenya has already demonstrated its capability to stage world-class athletics competitions, having hosted the 2007 World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa, the 2017 World Athletics Under-18 Championships in Nairobi and the 2021 World Athletics Under-20 Championships, also in Nairobi