President William Ruto has hailed Kenya's successful bid to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships, describing the decision as a historic victory for the country and the African continent.
Ruto said Kenya had become the first African nation to secure the right to stage the premier global athletics competition.
“The World Athletics Championships are coming home!” Ruto said.
“Our country has won the right to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships, making Kenya the first African nation to stage the premier global athletics competition.”
The President described the hosting rights as a recognition of Kenya's long-standing dominance in athletics and the contribution of generations of athletes who have established the country as a global powerhouse in track, road running and cross-country competitions.
“This is Kenya's moment, Africa's moment and a victory for generations of athletes who made our nation synonymous with excellence on the track, on the road and cross-country,” he said.
Ruto congratulated the team behind Kenya's bid, including Athletics Kenya, the Ministry of Sports, Youth Affairs and the Creative Economy, athletes and other stakeholders who worked on the campaign to bring the championships to the country.
“I congratulate our bid team, Athletics Kenya, the Ministry of Sports, Youth Affairs and the Creative Economy, our athletes and everyone who worked tirelessly to deliver this historic feat,” he said.
The President also thanked World Athletics for selecting Kenya to host the global championships, promising that the country would deliver an event worthy of its reputation in the sport.
“We thank World Athletics for the confidence it has placed in Kenya,” Ruto said.
“We will honour that confidence by delivering an unforgettable championship worthy of our athletes, our country and our continent.”
The award marks a major milestone for Kenya, which has produced some of the world's most successful distance runners but has never hosted the senior World Athletics Championships.
Munich, on the other hand, has been selected to host the 2031 championship.
The selection of the two countries follows one of the strongest bidding processes in the history of the sport’s flagship event, World Athletics body said in a statement.
The decision, made during the 242nd World Athletics Council Meeting in Budapest Monday and Tuesday (14-15), means that the World Athletics Championships will be held in Africa for the first time when the Kenyan capital stages the 2029 edition, before returning to Germany for a third time two years later, this time in Munich’s iconic Olympic Stadium.
“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.
Coe said the quality, ambition and commitment demonstrated by all four candidates underlines the strength and global appeal of the World Athletics Championships.
“With this Council decision today, we continue to fulfil our mission of growing athletics worldwide with the hosting of our World Athletics Championships in Asia, Africa and Europe over its next three editions. Nairobi and Munich ultimately presented two compelling propositions. They offer very different but equally exciting opportunities for our sport, and I am delighted that we can now begin working with both cities to stage two world-class championships.”
The championships will build on a growing record of successful World Athletics events staged across Africa.
Kampala in Uganda hosted the World Cross Country Championships in 2017, Nairobi staged the World U18 Championships later that year and the World U20 Championships in 2021, while Gaborone in Botswana hosted the World Athletics Relays in 2026 – the first edition of that event to be held in Africa.
Together, those events have helped build significant experience and expertise in staging global athletics competitions across the continent.
Within that wider progression, Nairobi has established particularly strong credentials as a host city. Having previously bid to host the 2025 championships, awarded to Tokyo, Nairobi returned with an even stronger proposition for 2029, drawing on almost a decade of experience in staging major international athletics events.
Kenya's hosting of the 2029 championships is expected to provide an opportunity to showcase the country's athletics heritage while exposing Nairobi and other parts of the country to increased international attention.
The event is also expected to create opportunities in tourism, hospitality, transport, sports infrastructure and the wider creative economy as Kenya prepares to welcome athletes, officials and spectators from around the world.
Kenya's successful bid comes as the government seeks to position the country as a major host of international sporting events.
Ruto said the country would now focus on honouring the trust placed in it by the global athletics governing body and delivering a memorable championship for Kenya and Africa.
