Sports
Nairobi awarded 2029 World Athletics Championships, a first for Africa
September 16, 2026 at 05:39 PM
Coverage
2 reports · 1 in Arabic, 1 in English · over 10 hours
World Athletics has awarded the 2029 World Championships to Kenya's capital, making Nairobi the first African city to host the event.
- World Athletics chose Nairobi at its 242nd council meeting in Budapest and picked Munich to host the 2031 edition, with London and Rome failing in their bids.
- World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said the Kenyan capital's bid was "convincing and compelling" and reflected the case for taking the championship to Africa.
- The 48,000-capacity Kasarani Stadium will stage the event and is undergoing redevelopment ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
- World Athletics said Kenya ranked second in all-time World Championships medals and led its survey of fan interest, with 68% of Kenyans rating their enthusiasm as high.