Boost For Kenya’s Bid? 2029 World Athletics Championships Rival Encounters Problems as Deadline Nears

Kenya’s bid to stage the 2029 World Athletics Championship could be boosted further following a tug of war among one of their main rivals.

Athletics Kenya submitted its bid to World Athletics to host either the 2029 or 2031 World Championships last September but face competition from Ethiopia, Italy, Germany, United Kingdom and India.

However, Kenya, which hopes to use Kasarani Stadium for the global event, has remained confident that its bid will be successful given its status as an athletics giant in the world, added to the fact that Africa has never staged a World Championship.

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Among the rival bids that are seen as strong contenders to upstage Kenya’s is London, UK, Munich, Germany and Rome, Italy with countries initially having up to April 3 to submit their bids.

However, as the rest of the countries look to convince World Athletics, London is having its own problems as there is a disagreement over the venue of choice, the London Stadium.

The London Stadium, which hosted the 2012 Olympics, and then leased to Premier League club West Ham, has been used for a number of athletics events like the 2017 World Championships as well as the London Diamond League meetings.

However, West Ham have made it clear that they will not relinquish the stadium mid-season for the World Championships, which is projected to be held in September 2029.

That is what has led to an impasse as the club claims it has first priority when it comes to using the stadium during a football season while the London bid team want them to seek an alternative venue during the three weeks when the athletics event would be held.

According to Daily Mail, West Ham’s stance has left the London bid, which is being steered by UK Athletics and UK Sport in a difficult position, as it is struggling to convince West Ham to agree to move or at least stage three straight way matches during the World Championship period so that London Stadium can be free to host the athletics event.

“West Ham United remain in a constructive dialogue with London Stadium regarding the potential dates for the proposed bid and await further information,” a West Ham statement to the Daily Mail stated on Monday.

“Any decisions remain subject to the club's overriding priority clause, a contractual right ensuring West Ham United games take priority during the football season,” added the statement with the club only open to moving if the World Championship is held at dates that do not clash with football matches.

The London bid is backed by the UK government and London Mayor’s office which have committed £35 million (Ksh6 billion) and £10 million (Ksh1.7 billion) respectively as they look to bring back the World Championship that the country last staged in 2017.

April 3 was set as the initial deadline for bid submissions but the Daily Mail state that it will be open until August 5, with a hosting announcement coming from World Athletics in September.