For generations, Africa has produced some of the greatest athletes in the history of global sport. From distance-running champions to emerging sprint and field-event stars, the continent has repeatedly supplied talent that has captivated audiences worldwide. Yet one of athletics’ biggest global stages has never been held on African soil.
That changes in 2029.
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Nairobi has been selected to host the World Athletics Championships, making Kenya the first African country to stage the flagship global athletics event. The decision, announced following the 242nd World Athletics Council Meeting in Budapest on 15 September 2026, represents a landmark moment for Kenya and African sport.
Nairobi prevailed in a competitive bidding process involving London, Rome and Munich, with Munich subsequently awarded the 2031 edition. World Athletics President Sebastian Coe described Nairobi’s proposal as “compelling and emotional”, emphasising the historic importance of taking the championships to Africa for the first time.
A Nation Built on Athletics
Few countries possess Kenya’s relationship with athletics. Generations of champions, including Faith Kipyegon, Vivian Cheruiyot, Eliud Kipchoge, Hellen Obiri, David Rudisha and the late Kip Keino, have helped establish Kenya as one of the sport’s global powerhouses.
Kenya is the second-most successful nation in World Athletics Championships history and finished second on the medal table at the Tokyo 2025 championships, winning seven gold medals and 11 medals overall.
The country’s passion for the sport is equally striking. World Athletics fan research found that 68 per cent of Kenyans surveyed rated their interest in athletics as high, compared with a global average of 39 per cent. Kenya recorded the highest level of athletics interest among the markets surveyed, while athletics remains the country’s second-most-followed sport after football.
Nairobi has also built substantial experience as an international athletics host. The city staged the World U18 Championships in 2017 and the World U20 Championships in 2021, while the Kip Keino Classic has become one of Africa’s leading one-day athletics meetings.
The 2029 championships therefore build on an established foundation rather than beginning from scratch.
Infrastructure With a Lasting Purpose
A major advantage of Nairobi’s bid is its existing sporting infrastructure and ongoing investment. Kasarani Stadium is undergoing a major structural overhaul ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, two years before the World Athletics Championships.
This creates an opportunity for Kenya to maximise the long-term value of infrastructure spending. Rather than building facilities solely for one event, upgraded venues can serve athletes, schools, clubs, national teams and international competitions for years afterwards.
The strategy also fits into a broader African conversation about hosting major international events responsibly. For cities across the continent, the objective is increasingly to ensure that sporting investments translate into lasting facilities, skills, employment and opportunities for young people.
However, delivery will be crucial. Kenya’s preparations for AFCON 2027 have already attracted scrutiny, making timely completion of the Kasarani redevelopment an important test ahead of 2029. The government and organisers will need sustained attention to construction, transport, hospitality, security and event management.
Beyond Sport
The economic significance of Nairobi 2029 extends beyond the stadium.
A global championship brings athletes, coaches, officials, journalists, broadcasters, sponsors and spectators into the host city. Their presence can support hotels, restaurants, transport companies, retailers, tourism operators and other businesses.
For Kenya, the event also provides an opportunity to connect its sporting reputation with its wider tourism offering. Visitors drawn by athletics can experience Nairobi’s cultural attractions and use the city as a gateway to the country’s wildlife, coastal destinations and other tourism assets.
The championship can also strengthen local expertise in event organisation, broadcasting, hospitality and sports management, creating capabilities that remain valuable long after the final race.
Inspiring a New Generation
Perhaps the most important legacy will be measured not in visitor numbers, but in inspiration.
For young athletes across Africa, watching the world’s leading competitors compete in Nairobi can transform the idea of what is possible. The event can encourage greater investment in grassroots athletics, coaching, facilities and talent development.
It also reverses a familiar dynamic. African athletes have traditionally travelled abroad to compete on the world’s biggest stages. In 2029, the global athletics community will travel to Africa.
That symbolism matters.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said it was important for the championships to come to Africa “when we had the right host, the right bid and the right circumstances”, adding that Nairobi had demonstrated that “this is their moment”.
Nairobi 2029 therefore represents more than a sporting event. It is a milestone in Africa’s growing experience of hosting global competitions and a celebration of a country whose athletic achievements have shaped the history of the sport.
Kenya is moving from being celebrated primarily as a nation of champions to becoming a nation that welcomes the world.
If preparations remain focused and the infrastructure is delivered effectively, Nairobi 2029 can leave a legacy extending well beyond the championships themselves — strengthening sport, tourism, skills development and opportunities for the next generation of African athletes.
For a continent that has given the world some of athletics’ greatest champions, the message of Nairobi 2029 is powerful: Africa is not only producing the world’s champions; it is increasingly becoming a stage for the world.
