Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, has been selected to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships, making it the first African city to stage the sport’s biggest flagship event.
Gatekeepers News reports that the world Athletics announced the decision on Tuesday following its 242nd Council meeting held in Budapest, Hungary, on Monday and Tuesday.
The governing body also awarded the hosting rights for the 2031 championships to Munich, Germany.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said the selection process was difficult because of the quality of the bids submitted.
“We were fortunate to have four outstanding bids for 2029 and 2031, and this was not an easy decision for the Council,” Coe said.
He said the bids demonstrated the global appeal and growing strength of athletics.
“The quality, ambition and commitment demonstrated by all four candidates underline the strength and global appeal of the World Athletics Championships,” he said.
Coe added that the decisions would help World Athletics expand the reach of the sport across different regions.
“With this Council decision today, we continue to fulfil our mission of growing athletics worldwide with the hosting of our World Athletics Championships in Asia, Africa and Europe over its next three editions,” he said.
He described the successful bids from Nairobi and Munich as compelling, while noting the different opportunities they presented.
“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,” Coe said.
The 2029 event will mark the first time the World Athletics Championships have been staged in Africa.
Kenya has a strong record at the championships and is the second-most successful nation in the history of the competition, with a cumulative 182 medals.
At the most recent edition in Tokyo in 2025, Kenya finished second on the medal table after winning seven gold medals and 11 medals overall.
