In Seattle
Few nations in the pantheon of global athletics command the reverence and respect that Kenya enjoys. From the steeplechase tracks of Kasarani to the high-altitude trails of Iten, the country has produced generations of Olympic and world champions who have redefined endurance, speed, and human potential.
Now, Kenya is aiming to translate that on-track dominance into off-track organisational prestige, with a bold bid to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships in Nairobi. Nairobi is competing with London, Rome, and Munich for an opportunity to host the 2029 championships.
World Athletics will announce the winning host cities for both the 2029 and 2031 editions on September 20, 2026. If successful, Kenya would become the first African nation ever to stage the senior World Athletics Championships, a historic milestone that would honour the continent’s athletic heritage and signal a new era for global sport on African soil.
Nairobi’s candidature rests on a compelling combination of athletics pedigree, infrastructure development, government commitment, and a proven track record of hosting international competitions.
The most powerful argument in Kenya’s favour is its unparalleled athletics heritage. No country has contributed more to the middle-and-long-distance running disciplines over the past half-century.
For decades, Kenya has been the spiritual home of distance running, a nation whose athletes have shaped the mythology of the sport and whose high-altitude training camps have become pilgrimage sites for runners from every continent.
From Kipchoge Keino’s heroic 1,500 metres gold at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics to Eliud Kipchoge’s sub-two-hour marathon milestone, Kenyan athletes have become synonymous with excellence. They have defined eras, broken records and inspired generations.
Hosting the world championships in Nairobi would allow the country’s current stars, and the next generation of aspiring runners, to compete on home soil, in front of a passionately knowledgeable crowd. For World Athletics, awarding the bid to Kenya would represent a long-overdue acknowledgement of Africa’s contribution to the sport, providing a stage where the continent’s athletes are both participants and hosts.
Kenya has demonstrated tangible organisational capacity through a steady record of hosting major athletics events. The country successfully staged the 2007 World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa, the 2017 World Athletics Under-18 Championships in Nairobi, and the 2020 World Athletics Under-20 Championships, also in Nairobi.
These competitions, alongside regular African Athletics Championships and international athletics meetings in the capital, have given Kenyan sports administrators, volunteers, and security personnel invaluable hands-on experience in managing large-scale events.
The 2020 Under-20 Championships, in particular, were widely praised for their smooth execution despite the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, showing that Nairobi could handle the logistical complexities of a World Athletics-sanctioned event.
From left: Nigeria’s Favour Ofili and Namibian duo of Christine Mboma and Beatrice Masilingi pose for a photo after the women’s 200 metres final race of the 2021 World Athletics Under-20 Championships at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani on August 21, 2021.
Photo credit: Sila Kiplagat | Nation Media Group
This institutional memory and operational know-how provide a solid foundation upon which to build the much larger senior championships, which would involve thousands of athletes, officials, media representatives, and spectators from over 200 nations.
Perhaps the most transformative element of Kenya’s bid is the ongoing expansion and upgrading of its sporting infrastructure, driven largely by the country’s preparation to co-host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations alongside Uganda and Tanzania.
The flagship project is the 60,000-seater Raila Odinga International Stadium, a state-of-the-art facility being developed with the capacity to host major international events, including world-class athletics competitions. Substantial upgrades are also under way at the Kasarani and Nyayo national stadiums to bring them into full compliance with international standards for track surfaces, floodlighting, media facilities, and athlete amenities.
These investments are already being executed as part of Kenya’s broader sports infrastructure strategy. The three East African nations also used the 2024 African Nations Championship (Chan) as a critical dress rehearsal, testing their ability to coordinate security, transportation, accommodation, and crowd management across multiple venues.
For Nairobi’s World Athletics bid, this means that by 2029, the city will have recently completed a major continental football tournament, leaving it with a suite of modern, well-maintained stadiums and ancillary facilities that can be seamlessly adapted for track and field.
President William Ruto has placed the full weight of his administration behind the bid, pledging government support at the highest level. This political commitment translates into concrete guarantees that are essential for any global sporting body.
The government has committed to streamline immigration and visa processes, including expedited visa-on-arrival arrangements for athletes, officials, and international visitors, a critical factor for smooth entry into the country.
Enhanced security protocols, adequate accommodation across various price points, and dedicated transport corridors are also part of the official pledge. Moreover, the state has framed sport as a viable career pathway for millions of Kenyan youth, with county-based facilities and grassroots talent programmes being expanded.
Hosting the 2029 World Championships would accelerate this vision, creating thousands of temporary and permanent jobs in construction, hospitality, tourism, transport, and event management, while inspiring a new generation of young Kenyans to see athletics as both a profession and a source of national pride.
Kenya’s natural advantages further strengthen its case. The country’s high-altitude training environment, particularly in regions like Iten, Eldoret, and Nyahururu, is already a global magnet for elite runners seeking to improve their oxygen utilisation and endurance.
For visiting athletes, competing in Nairobi itself (at approximately 1,800 metres above sea level) would present a unique challenge, but also an opportunity to test themselves in conditions that have forged some of the greatest champions in history.
The favourable climate, with relatively stable temperatures year-round, reduces the risk of weather-related disruptions that have plagued other championships.
Inside Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani Stadium in Nairobi on August 1, 2025.
Photo credit: Sila Kiplagat | Nation Media Group
Kenya’s hospitality industry, built around its reputation as a safari and tourism destination, offers a wide range of accommodation options, from luxury hotels to more modest lodgings, while the country’s vibrant sports culture ensures that stadiums would be filled with passionate, knowledgeable spectators who create an electric atmosphere.
Critics may point to past concerns about logistics, traffic management, or the sheer scale of a senior World Championships. However, Kenya’s bid is not being made in isolation. The co-hosting of Afcon 2027, with its rigorous inspection processes and continental oversight, has already forced the country to address these very issues.
The lessons learned from Chan 2025 and the ongoing stadium upgrades mean that by 2029, Kenya will have had years of operational experience with major multi-national tournaments. Furthermore, World Athletics has shown increasing willingness to take the championships to new territories, having awarded the 2025 edition to Tokyo and the 2027 edition to Beijing. Awarding 2029 to Nairobi would complete a geographic rotation that brings the sport to its spiritual home in East Africa, rewarding a region that has given so much to track and field.
The state expects that hosting the World Championships would stimulate tourism, hospitality, transport, and retail sectors, generating significant foreign exchange earnings and elevating Kenya’s brand as a destination for business events and conferences.
The global television audience for the World Athletics Championships consistently exceeds one billion viewers, offering unparalleled exposure for Nairobi as a modern, capable, and welcoming city. This soft-power dividend cannot be overstated, particularly for a country seeking to attract foreign investment and expand its middle-income economy.
The hosting the 2029 World Athletics Championships would be a moment of affirmation and a chance to elevate Kenya’s legacy from producing champions to welcoming the world to the land where champions are made.
