London Reacts After Nairobi Wins 2029 World Athletics Championships Bid

London’s ambition to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships has been thwarted, with World Athletics awarding the prestigious event to Nairobi. The Kenyan capital is set to make history as the first African city to stage the global competition.

World Athletics announced the decision during its 242nd World Athletics Council meeting in Budapest. Munich, another contender for the 2029 event, was named the host for the subsequent 2031 championships, while Rome’s bid also fell short.

The selection of Nairobi marks a significant milestone for African athletics and the sport globally. The Kenyan capital is renowned as a hub for distance-running talent and will become the first African city to host the World Athletics Championships.

Organisers of the London campaign expressed their deep disappointment following the verdict. The bid had appeared strong, particularly after securing an agreement in August for the use of the London Stadium with West Ham United. The campaign was also supported by approximately £45 million in guaranteed public-sector funding.

Despite London’s successful hosting of the 2017 World Championships, the bid faced challenges. Concerns were raised over images of empty seats during the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, although World Athletics President Lord Coe downplayed their significance at the time.

When questioned about the factors influencing the decision, Lord Coe declined to offer a detailed analysis. “I’m not going to maintain a running commentary today on some of the judgement and the basis of those judgements,” he stated.

Coe said World Athletics would engage with all the bidding cities following the decision, noting that unsuccessful candidates have previously returned with stronger bids.

“Remember, in the past, we have had unsuccessful bidding cities that have come back into the frame and understood the challenges, as Nairobi has,” he added.

Jack Buckner, CEO of UK Athletics and co-founder of bid organisers Athletics Ventures, lamented the outcome. “We are deeply disappointed,” he said.

“We believed we had an outstanding bid which would genuinely take the sport to new levels. The UK is an incredible host for major sports events, and the British public loves athletics.”

Buckner said the organisation would review the unsuccessful bid and continue to explore opportunities to bring major athletics events to Britain.

“Athletics Ventures has the ambition to bring those events here and, although today’s announcement hasn’t gone our way, we will review and regroup,” he added.

“We know the world’s athletes love competing here and we’ll continue to explore further opportunities.”

For Nairobi, the decision marks an important moment in the development of athletics on the continent. The 2029 championships will also be the final edition to include the marathon before the event transitions to a standalone world championship.

Kenya’s strong association with distance running, particularly through its world-renowned marathon athletes, gives the host city a prominent connection to one of the sport’s most celebrated disciplines.

The decision comes amid discussion about the geographical spread of major athletics events, particularly with the 2028 Olympics scheduled to take place in Los Angeles.

Coe acknowledged Europe’s importance to athletics but said World Athletics also had a responsibility to expand the sport’s global reach. “Europe is a heartland, and we openly accept that,” he explained.

“But we also have a responsibility to ensure that an international governing federation... has the opportunity to take our championships into areas that, strategically, we think will grow the footprint of our sport.”

Coe insisted that Nairobi’s selection was the result of detailed consideration rather than simply the historic significance of awarding the championships to an African city.

He said the decision was based on “some really serious analysis” and not just its “clear historic ground-breaking nature.”