Kenya to host World Athletics Championship

The announcement marks the first time that the event will be held in Africa. Kenya will host the World Athletics Championships in 2029, in a first for the African continent. Nairobi beat London and Rome for the honor, after what the World Athletics president called a “ compelling and emotional bid.” Kenya is the second-most successful nation in the history of the World Championships, and yet it has never hosted the event. Nairobi narrowly lost out on hosting in 2025 due to infrastructure concerns, but has since conducted significant renovations on the Kasarani Stadium, which will host the athletes. The announcement comes as part of a slew of sporting wins for Kenya and the continent: Nairobi is co-hosting next year’s Africa Cup of Nations alongside Tanzania and Uganda, while the Youth Olympic Games — the first Olympic event to ever be held in Africa — is due to kick off in Dakar, Senegal, next month.