Choosing Nairobi extends a recent buildup of World Athletics events across Africa and draws on Kenya’s fan engagement, well above the global average
Nairobi and Munich have been selected to host the 2029 and 2031 World Athletics Championships, respectively. The decision was made during the 242nd World Athletics Council Meeting in Budapest on Sept. 14-15 following “one of the strongest bidding processes in the history of the sport’s flagship event,” said the organization. It means that in 2029, World Athletics’ biggest event will be held in Africa for the first time, before returning to Germany for a third time in 2031.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe commented: “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 previously bid to host the 2025 championships, awarded to Tokyo, and returned this time “with an even stronger proposition,” according to World Athletics. The 2029 World Athletics Championships in Nairobi will build on a growing record of World Athletics events held across Africa over the past few years. Kampala (Uganda) hosted the World Cross Country Championships in 2017, Nairobi (Kenya) the World U18 Championships later that year as well as the World U20 Championships in 2021, while Gaborone (Botswana) hosted the World Athletics Relays in 2026.
According to World Athletics fan research, Kenya has a particularly strong fan base. Around 68 percent of Kenyan people rate their interest in athletics as high, compared with a global average of 39 percent. Athletics is the country’s second-most-followed sport, only behind football. Furthermore, Kenya is the fourth-highest country in terms of followers of World Athletics social media channels. Popular passion is matched by consistent success at the highest level. Kenya is indeed the second-most-successful nation in World Athletics Championships history. In President Coe’s words, “the sport is woven into the fabric of the country.”
