World Athletics Championships to be staged in Africa for the first time with Nairobi as host
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The Moi International Sports Centre in Kasarani, which has a seating capacity reduced to around 48,000 following major renovations, in Nairobi, Kenya, Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (AP Photo)
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FILE - Kenyan fans react after the women's 5,000 meters final at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, file)
After decades of African athletes breaking records in track and field, Africa finally gets to host the World Athletics Championships.
Kenya’s capital Nairobi was confirmed Tuesday as host of the 2029 edition of the championships, the sport’s biggest event outside of the Olympics.
“Taking our championships to Africa for the first time will be historic,” World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said as he announced the decision following the Ultimate Championship in Hungary.
“Athletics is woven into the fabric of Kenya.”
Kenya has long been a superpower in distance running and is second on the all-time worlds medal table behind only the United States.
Salim Mvurya, the Kenyan government minister responsible for sports, said “the world will come to a country where running is more than competition, it is our national story.”
There could be records in store thanks to Nairobi being the highest-altitude world championships host in history. The thinner air means less resistance for runners, but they may need time to adapt to the conditions.
The championships also return to Germany in 2031 after a 22-year wait, with Munich hosting.
Coe added that World Athletics research had shown Kenya was the most passionate market for track and field among those surveyed.
The championships will use a stadium that’s already being upgraded for Kenya co-hosting soccer’s Africa Cup of Nations next year.
“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,” Coe said.
The decision brings recognition of Kenya’s status as a track nation, but is likely to bring extra scrutiny of the East African nation’s history of top runners being busted for doping.
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