Kenyans celebrate after the women's 800m final at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Japan . [AFP]
Nairobi has officially entered the race to stage the 2029 World Athletics Championships after Athletics Kenya (AK) submitted the country’s formal bid to host the global showpiece.
The bid places Nairobi in contention alongside London, Rome and Munich, with Kenya hoping to bring the senior World Athletics Championships to African soil for the first time.
Kenya has presented a government-backed bid, which Athletics Kenya says has the potential to be a historic milestone for the continent.
According to AK, the government has committed its support to the bid, promising the necessary organisational framework, security measures and modern infrastructure required to host a world-class event.
“Kenya has put forward a robust, government-backed bid that is expected to serve as a strong, historic push for the African continent,” AK said in a statement released yesterday.
If the bid succeeds, Nairobi would become the first African city to host the premier World Athletics Championships.
The country has previously hosted several major global athletics events, including the World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa in 2007, the World Athletics Under-18 Championships in Nairobi in 2017 and the World Athletics Under-20 Championships, also in Nairobi, in 2021.