Beatrice Chebet and Faith Kipyegon at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo. Photo: Reuters via Al Jazeera
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Nairobi will host the 2029 World Athletics Championships, the first ever in Africa.
Nairobi will host the World Athletics Championships in September 2029. The World Athletics Council made the decision at its 242nd meeting in Budapest on 14 and 15 September, choosing Nairobi ahead of London, Munich and Rome. Munich was given the 2031 edition. Beijing hosts in 2027.
It will be the first time the championships are held in Africa. The venue is Kasarani Stadium, which is being redeveloped ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations. Nairobi hosted the World Under-20 Championships in 2021.
What Coe said
"We were fortunate to have four outstanding bids for 2029 and 2031, and this was not an easy decision for the council," said World Athletics president Sebastian Coe. "Nairobi presented a compelling and emotional bid, and taking the World Athletics Championships to Africa for the first time will be historic." He added: "Kenya is one of the great athletics nations. The sport is woven into the fabric of the country."
What the athletes said
Julius Yego, the 2015 javelin world champion: "I'm so happy that the world will come to Kenya. It is a huge thing for Africa." Ferdinand Omanyala, the African 100m record holder, said young Kenyans will "see all these stars coming into the country" and that "that will be a huge motivation". Janeth Jepkosgei, the 2007 world 800m champion: "It means a lot for the youth and the juniors because it makes the dream really big." Ethiopia's Haile Gebrselassie said he will be there to watch: "This is a big chance, not only in sport, in economy, politics."
For Kibra, the championships are a short matatu ride away. KNN will follow the Kasarani works and what the event means for local jobs and tickets.
Sources: World Athletics, Al Jazeera, The Star
That was a Kibra News Network report, read by an A I voice.
Nairobi will host the World Athletics Championships in September 2029. The World Athletics Council made the decision at its 242nd meeting in Budapest on 14 and 15 September, choosing Nairobi ahead of London, Munich and Rome. Munich was given the 2031 edition. Beijing hosts in 2027.
It will be the first time the championships are held in Africa. The venue is Kasarani Stadium, which is being redeveloped ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations. Nairobi hosted the World Under-20 Championships in 2021.
What Coe said
“We were fortunate to have four outstanding bids for 2029 and 2031, and this was not an easy decision for the council,” said World Athletics president Sebastian Coe. “Nairobi presented a compelling and emotional bid, and taking the World Athletics Championships to Africa for the first time will be historic.” He added: “Kenya is one of the great athletics nations. The sport is woven into the fabric of the country.”
What the athletes said
Julius Yego, the 2015 javelin world champion: “I’m so happy that the world will come to Kenya. It is a huge thing for Africa.” Ferdinand Omanyala, the African 100m record holder, said young Kenyans will “see all these stars coming into the country” and that “that will be a huge motivation”. Janeth Jepkosgei, the 2007 world 800m champion: “It means a lot for the youth and the juniors because it makes the dream really big.” Ethiopia’s Haile Gebrselassie said he will be there to watch: “This is a big chance, not only in sport, in economy, politics.”
For Kibra, the championships are a short matatu ride away. KNN will follow the Kasarani works and what the event means for local jobs and tickets.
KNN Newsroom is the staff byline for stories written, rewritten and edited at the Kibra News Network desk. Where a story credits an outside outlet, the original source is linked at the foot of the piece.
