Kenya Gets Major Boost in Race Against London, Rome and Munich for 2029 World Athletics Championships

Kenya's ambition to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships in Nairobi has received a significant boost, according to Athletics Kenya (AK), with strong government backing and major investment in the country's sports infrastructure strengthening the bid.

Barnaba Korir, chairman of Athletics Kenya's Nairobi Branch, believes the improvements currently underway have placed Nairobi in a far stronger position than during the country's previous attempt to secure the global event.

Korir explained that Kenya's bid for the 2025 World Athletics Championships was hampered by concerns surrounding the state of Kasarani Stadium and the country's ability to meet the demanding infrastructure requirements for an event of such magnitude.

However, he is confident that the situation has changed considerably, with ongoing renovations at Kasarani and the development of the new Talanta Sports City providing Nairobi with major facilities that could support the country's ambitions.

The improved sporting infrastructure is expected to play a crucial role as Kenya seeks to convince World Athletics that Nairobi has the capacity to successfully stage one of the biggest events on the global sporting calendar.

According to Korir, the formal support of President William Ruto and the Kenyan government has added significant weight to the country's bid.

Hosting the World Athletics Championships requires more than a world-class stadium, with the successful host also needing to demonstrate its ability to provide adequate security, transport networks, accommodation and other essential services for athletes, officials and spectators.

“The guarantee from the government is the most important one in all the aspects of this bid, because it involves a lot of resources that have to go into the construction of infrastructure, development of manpower and so many other factors that the government has to support," Korir said in a recent interview.

Korir believes the government's willingness to invest in those areas shows Kenya is serious about bringing the championships to Nairobi and could give the country an important advantage during the bidding process.

Kenya can also point to a strong history of hosting major international athletics competitions. The country successfully staged the 2007 World Cross Country Championships before going on to host the 2017 World Under-18 Championships and the 2021 World Under-20 Championships.

That experience, combined with Kenya's global reputation as an athletics powerhouse, gives the country a foundation on which to build its case for hosting the senior World Athletics Championships for the first time.

“We have developed a system or database in Athletics Kenya that we capture every individual athlete and follow them all the way to senior ranks,” he stated.

World Athletics is expected to announce the host city for the 2029 World Athletics Championships in September 2026 following a series of evaluations.

Kenya faces competition from rival European bids, including London, Rome and Munich, but Athletics Kenya remains optimistic that the country's rich athletics heritage, upgraded facilities and strong government support can give Nairobi a competitive edge.

For Kenya, winning the bid would mark a historic moment and offer the country an opportunity to host the world's biggest athletics championship on home soil.