Kenya has secured the hosting rights for the 2029 World Athletics Championships, delivering a landmark victory that will make the country the first in Africa to stage the senior global athletics showpiece.
President William Ruto on Tuesday hailed the decision as a defining moment for Kenya and the continent, saying the championship would celebrate the generations of athletes who have built the country’s reputation as one of the world’s great distance-running nations.
“This is Kenya’s moment, Africa’s moment and a victory for generations of athletes who made our nation synonymous with excellence on the track, on the road and cross country,” President Ruto said.
The decision by the World Athletics Council places Nairobi at the centre of the global athletics calendar and gives Africa its first opportunity to host the senior World Athletics Championships since the competition was launched in 1983.
Nairobi will stage the 2029 championships at the 48,000-capacity Kasarani Stadium, which is undergoing major refurbishment as Kenya prepares to host major continental sporting events.
London and Rome were also in contention for the 2029 edition, while Munich was selected to host the 2031 championships.
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe described Kenya’s bid as both “compelling and emotional”, saying the country had demonstrated that it was ready for the championship.
“Kenya is one of the great athletics nations,” Coe said. “The sport is woven into the fabric of the country.”
He said Africa deserved to host the championships when the right bid and circumstances came together, adding that Nairobi had demonstrated that “this is their moment.”
The award represents more than a sporting victory for Kenya. It breaks a long-standing geographical gap in the history of the world’s premier athletics championship.
Africa has produced some of the most influential athletes in Olympic and World Championship history, particularly in middle- and long-distance running, yet the continent has never hosted the senior World Athletics Championships.
Kenya’s selection therefore gives the continent an opportunity to showcase its sporting talent, infrastructure, culture and tourism to a worldwide audience.
Kenya enters the competition with one of the strongest athletics records in the world. The country has won 72 World Championship and 38 Olympic gold medals, with the majority coming from its celebrated middle- and long-distance runners.
Its athletics success has produced global stars including two-time Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge, who also won the 5,000 metres at the 2003 World Championships.
Kipchoge was among the prominent figures who helped promote Nairobi’s bid, using Kenya’s extraordinary athletics heritage to strengthen the country’s case before the World Athletics leadership.
The Ministry of Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports said the government would work with World Athletics, Athletics Kenya and other stakeholders to ensure the country meets the extensive requirements associated with hosting a global championship.
Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya said the government would focus on infrastructure, technology, transport, security, accommodation, medical services and other operational systems required to deliver a world-class event.
The government also sees the championships as an opportunity to leave a lasting sporting and economic legacy.
According to the ministry, preparations will extend beyond the competition itself to strengthening sporting institutions, developing world-class facilities, creating opportunities for young people, attracting investment, expanding sports tourism and growing Kenya’s wider sports economy.
President Ruto congratulated the bid team, Athletics Kenya, the Ministry of Sports, athletes and all those involved in securing the hosting rights.
He also thanked World Athletics for placing its confidence in Kenya, promising that the country would deliver a championship worthy of its athletes and its status as the “Home of Champions”.
The award also places renewed attention on Kenya’s ability to complete major infrastructure projects on time.
Kasarani Stadium is at the heart of the preparations. The facility is undergoing a major structural overhaul as Kenya upgrades its sporting infrastructure ahead of co-hosting the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations with Tanzania and Uganda.
Infrastructure was a significant weakness in Kenya’s previous attempt to host the World Championships. The country bid for the 2025 edition but ultimately lost the hosting rights to Tokyo.
This time, Kenyan officials have pointed to the ongoing renovation of stadiums and the country’s experience hosting international athletics competitions as evidence of greater preparedness.
The country has already hosted several major World Athletics events in recent years, including the 2017 World Under-18 Championships and the 2021 World Under-20 Championships in Nairobi. Mombasa hosted the World Cross Country Championships in 2007.
Those events have provided Kenya with experience in managing international athletes, officials, spectators and global media.
The 2029 championships, however, will be on a substantially larger scale and will require the country to demonstrate that its infrastructure and systems can meet the demands of the world’s biggest athletics event.
Government officials are also positioning the championships as a vehicle for tourism and economic development.
The expectation is that thousands of athletes, officials, fans, journalists and international visitors will travel to Kenya, providing an opportunity to market Nairobi and the wider country as a destination for sport, tourism and investment.
The ministry said visitors would be invited to experience Kenya’s people, culture, wildlife, landscapes and hospitality alongside the athletics competition.
For Kenya’s athletes, the championship will carry an additional significance: they will compete for global honours on home soil.
For Africa, it will be an opportunity to see the world’s best athletes compete on a continent that has supplied an extraordinary share of global athletics champions.
And for Kenya, the award represents both recognition and responsibility.
The country now has three years to transform the promise of its bid into a championship capable of meeting the expectations of World Athletics and the global sporting community.
The message from Nairobi is already clear that the Home of Champions is opening its doors to the world.
Karibuni Africa. Karibuni Kenya. Karibuni Nairobi.
