Kenya waits with bated breath as 2029 World Athletics Championships host set to be unveiled

NAIROBI, Kenya, September 13, 2026 – Sports Principal Secretary Elijah Mwangi is confident Kenya will be awarded hosting rights for the 2029 World Athletics Championships.

The global governing body is set to announce the host for the prestigious competition on Tuesday (September 15) and Mwangi is optimistic that Kenya will win the bid.

“We hope by 15th of September when the World Athletic Council shall announce the winner of hosting 2029 World Athletics Championship, Kenya can be identified as the winner. The benefit of hosting World Athletics is enormous. Our youth who have been competing locally, those who have competed internationally, they will have an opportunity to do it in their own soil,” the PS said.

Kenya — specifically Nairobi — is battling for the coveted opportunity to host the championships alongside other major cities including Rome (Italy), Munich (Germany) and London (England).

The other competing cities have hosted major international competitions in the past save for Kenya, who famously failed in their bid to host the 2025 World Championships — eventually held in Tokyo.

However, Mwangi opines the country has come of age, as evidenced by the other international competitions that have found a home in Kenya.

“This is the first World Athletics Championship if we win to be hosted in African soil. That means that we have come of age in as far as sports is concerned. And number three, it means that we shall continue developing the infrastructure,” he said.

Mwangi added: “We are so much aware that we have successfully hosted Chan (Africa Nations Championships) last year. We have been hosting Safari Rally as well as golf (Magical Kenya Open). We have hosted and we know we can make it.”

In athletics, Kenya has previously hosted the 2007 World Cross Country Championships (Mombasa) and the 2021 World Under 20 Championships in Nairobi.

It also hosts the annual World Athletics Continental Tour Gold (Kip Keino Classic) and the World Cross Country Tour (Sirikwa Classic).