Athletics Great Kipchoge Keino Reveals How Kenya Stands to Profit from 2029 World Championships

Legendary Kenyan athlete Kipchoge Keino is thrilled that the country will be welcoming the globe during the 2029 World Athletics Championships.

Kenya won the hosting rights after Nairobi’s bid beat London, Rome and Munich and it will be the first time an African country will be staging the World Championships.

To Kipchoge, this is a unique opportunity not only to show what the country has in terms of talent and capacity but also market Kenya as a top athletics training environment.

"Hosting the World Athletics Championships in Kenya is a major opportunity and shows how far the country has come,” Kipchoge said in Eldoret on Friday.

“Our athletes have helped put Kenya on the global map, and now we have an opportunity to welcome the world and show that we are capable of hosting an event of this scale. We shall be engaging with the federations and other stakeholders to ensure that we are fully prepared. As a destination, we are ready to demonstrate what Kenya can offer,” he added.

Kipchoge’s sentiments come amid revelations that Kenya’s high-altitude training camps are attracting growing interest from international athletes and sports enthusiasts seeking to experience the training environment as the country prepares to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships.

The North Rift region, globally renowned for its athletics heritage and high-altitude training facilities, is already receiving enquiries for the training opportunities with Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) terming it as opportunity to expand Kenya’s sports tourism offering.

KTB chairman Francis Gichaba says the opportunity will allow visitors to go beyond watching competitions to experience the landscapes, training camps and communities that have shaped the success of Kenyan athletes.

“We are actively mapping and packaging the region’s key attractions, with sports tourism as a major selling point. The opportunity is to allow visitors to experience not just the competitions in the stadiums, but also the journey, environment and communities that produce our champions,” said Gichaba.

Kenya’s training camps have been are receiving enquiries from athletes and people interested in coming to the country to train, with interest from Europe, Asia, Australia and the United States which is set to increase as the 2029 World Championships approach.

KTB plans to develop a broader tourism offering that combines athletics with nature, culture, adventure and community experiences, encouraging visitors to explore the North Rift, extend their stays and support local tourism enterprises.