NAIROBI
Kenya will make sporting history in 2029 when Nairobi becomes the first African city to host the World Athletics Championships, bringing the sport’s premier global event to a continent that has produced generations of champions.
World Athletics selected Nairobi during its 242nd Council Meeting in Budapest, marking a major milestone for Kenya and African athletics. Munich will host the following edition in 2031 at its Olympic Stadium.
Nairobi enters 2029 with extensive experience in staging international athletics. The city hosted the World U18 Championships in 2017 and the World U20 Championships in 2021. The Kip Keino Classic has strengthened that record as part of the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold since 2020.
Africa’s wider hosting experience has also expanded. Kampala, Uganda, staged the World Cross Country Championships in 2017, while Gaborone, Botswana, hosted the World Athletics Relays in 2026.
Nairobi previously bid for the 2025 World Athletics Championships, which Tokyo hosted. Kenya returned with a stronger proposition for 2029, supported by operational planning, financial guarantees and the redevelopment of Kasarani Stadium.
The stadium is undergoing a major structural overhaul ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations. The investment will provide a renewed centerpiece for the championships two years later.
Kenya’s connection with athletics adds another dimension to Nairobi’s credentials. World Athletics fan research found that 68% of Kenyans surveyed rated their interest in athletics as high, compared with a global average of 39%. Athletics ranks as the country’s second-most-followed sport after football.
Kenyan athletes have reinforced that passion through sustained success. Kenya is the second-most-successful nation in World Athletics Championships history and finished second on the medal table at Tokyo 2025 with seven gold medals and 11 medals overall.
World champions Faith Kipyegon, Vivian Cheruiyot, Eliud Kipchoge, Hellen Obiri and David Rudisha form part of a distinguished athletics legacy that also includes Kip Keino, Paul Tergat and Tegla Loroupe.
“Nairobi presented a compelling and emotional bid, and taking the World Athletics Championships to Africa for the first time will be historic,” World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said.
Coe described Kenya as one of the world’s great athletics nations and said the sport is woven into the fabric of the country.
Nairobi 2029 will place that tradition on the global stage and give Africa its first opportunity to host the world’s premier outdoor athletics championship.
