Key facts
- Nairobi will be the first African city to host the World Athletics Championships in 2029.
- London's bid for the 2029 championships failed.
- The Kenyan government committed $5 million annually to anti-doping efforts.
- London's bid was valued at £45 million, with £35 million from the government and £10 million from the mayor's office.
Nairobi has been selected to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships, marking a historic moment as the first African city to stage the event. London's bid for the same championship was unsuccessful, despite a substantial £45 million proposal that included £35 million from the government and £10 million from the mayor's office. The decision was announced by World Athletics president Sebastian Coe, who described the choice of Nairobi as groundbreaking and grounded in serious analysis of various factors.
While London's bid was considered a frontrunner, concerns may have arisen from the late resolution of a dispute with West Ham over the use of the stadium and potentially sparse crowds at recent European Athletics Championships in Birmingham. However, the London bid team believed their proposal, which anticipated around 60,000 spectators attending track and field events daily for a week, was compelling.
World Athletics defended the decision to award the championships to Nairobi, despite a history of anti-doping violations by Kenyan athletes. A spokesperson highlighted the Kenyan government's commitment of $5 million annually to anti-doping efforts, stating that Nairobi hosting the event could act as a catalyst for continued progress in clean sport. Coe emphasized that the decision was not solely based on the historical significance of bringing the championships to Africa, but also on financial government guarantees and the sport's growth potential.
Munich was simultaneously awarded the 2031 World Athletics Championships. Coe acknowledged Europe's status as a heartland for track and field but stressed the federation's responsibility to expand the sport's global footprint, noting that the next three editions would be globally distributed across Africa, Europe, and Asia (Beijing in 2027).