Nairobi awaits the world with open arms

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The moment that athletics enthusiasts across Kenya have been waiting for with bated breath came yesterday.

The World Athletics Council announced that Nairobi will host the 2029 World Athletics Championships, the global premier track and field show.

With the announcement, Kenya becomes the first-ever African country to host the World Athletics Championships.

The hosting rights were seen as a major reward for Kenya, a country that has produced world and Olympic medalists from the 1960s.

Like previous hosts, Kenya should brace itself for enhanced budgets in readiness for the 2029 global showpiece.

The total operating budget for the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo ranged between Sh12.3 billion and Sh12.9 billion.

Japan incurred minimal or no cost in the renovation of the Japan National Stadium, which was the venue of last year’s championships, according to multiple sources. The facility had hosted the 2020 Olympic Games, which were staged in 2021.

The 68,000-capacity Japanese stadium cost Sh181 billion and has an eco-friendly airflow as well as a rooftop forest walk.

The Asian country is estimated to have earned, directly and indirectly through tourism and hospitality during the 2025 show, while World Athletics made Sh388 million from the event.

Kenya has spent at least Sh6.7 billion to renovate Kasarani Stadium in preparation for the 2027 African Cup of Nations and is expected to allocate a sizeable amount in the organisation of the 2029 action.

The Hungarian government had spent over Sh83 billion to build the modern National Athletics Centre and Sh8 billion to organise the 2023 World Championships.

Athletics, the country’s most successful sport, has seen Kenya topping the African continent at the World Athletics Championships. It ranked top in the world in 2015.

The decision to award Kenya the hosting rights was made during the 242nd global governing body’s council meeting in Budapest on Monday and yesterday, after more than a year of a strong campaign to position the country’s potential to deliver the biggest athletics extravaganza to the world.

It will mean Nairobi, which lost its bid to host the 2025 show to Tokyo, must upgrade its sporting facilities to the required standards ahead of the 2029 event.

While announcing the hosting rights yesterday, World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said Kenya had pledged to upgrade Kasarani International Stadium to a top-class venue in readiness for the championships.

From the successful hosting of the 2017 World Under-18 to the 2021 World Under-20 Championships and to the annual one-day Kip Keino Classic Continental Tour meet, Nairobi’s bid stood out and earned WA evaluators and council members, who made the final decision.

“That experience provided firm foundations for a 2029 bid that combined strong operational planning and financial guarantees with a renovated Kasarani Stadium, which is undergoing a complete structural overhaul of all facilities ahead of hosting the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2027 two years before the World Athletics Championships, and a compelling vision for the first World Athletics Championships in Africa,” said Coe during the announcement press conference.

Kenyan fans who traditionally followed the World Athletics Championships, most of the time late into the night and wee hours of the morning, will have the chance to watch the action live in Nairobi.

World Athletics said research had shown that Kenya is among countries with fans that have strong interest in athletics.

"Nairobi presented a compelling and emotional bid, and taking the World Athletics Championships to Africa for the first time will be historic,” The WA President said.

He added: “Kenya is one of the great athletics nations. The sport is woven into the fabric of the country, and athletes such as world gold medallists Faith Kipyegon, Eliud Kipchoge, Hellen Obiri and David Rudisha, as well as two-time Olympic champion Kipchoge Keino, multiple world cross-country champion Paul Tergat and multiple world half marathon champion Tegla Loroupe, have shaped the history of our sport.”

According to Coe, the decision to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships for the first time in Africa was a step towards giving all continents a chance to welcome the globe to their cities.

Also considered during the bidding process was Kenya’s geographical location, which Coe said would make it convenient for fans in Europe to follow races.

“Nairobi time zone will be convenient for European fans who are heavy consumers of broadcasting,” Coe said.

Nairobi will be under pressure to keep its promise of better sports infrastructure while tapping into huge numbers of guests to the city during the championships.

Sports Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya said the Kenyan government will work closely with World Athletics and Athletics Kenya, among other institutions, to deliver infrastructure, technology, transport, security, accommodation and modern operational systems necessary for a world championships event.

At the same time, Munich was named the 2031 World Championships host.

Rome and London, which were in the race for hosting rights, were unsuccessful.

London had disclosed last month that the event would generate more than £400 million (Sh51 billion) in economic and social benefits. Kenya had presented a government-backed bid, which Athletics Kenya says had the potential to be a historic milestone for the continent.

Selected global events that Kenya has hosted:

World Cross Country Championships – 2007

World Under-18 Championships – 2017

World Under-20 Championships – 2021

Kip Keino Classic Continental Tour – Annual since 2020

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe

QUOTE:

"This is Kenya's moment, Africa's moment and a victory for generations of athletes who made our nation synonymous with excellence on the track, on the road and cross country."

William Ruto, Kenya's President