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Nairobi has been selected to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships, defeating London in the bidding process, while Munich has been awarded the 2031 championships.
London’s bid was supported by the UK Government and the Greater London Authority and was led by Athletic Ventures, a joint venture involving UK Athletics, London Marathon Events and The Great Run Company.
The proposed championships would have been staged at London Stadium, which hosted the 2017 World Championships and remains one of the city’s principal athletics venues.
UK Athletics CEO Jack Buckner said the organisation was disappointed by the decision but indicated that Athletic Ventures would continue pursuing opportunities to bring major athletics events to Britain.
“We believed we had an outstanding bid which would genuinely take the sport to new levels,” Buckner said.
Buckner thanked the UK Government, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, the Mayor of London, UK Sport, London Stadium, West Ham United, and other stakeholders involved in the bid.
“The UK is an incredible host for major sports events and the British public loves athletics,” he said. “Although today’s announcement hasn’t gone our way, we will review and regroup.”
Buckner also congratulated Nairobi on its successful bid.
The 2029 championships will mark the first time the World Athletics Championships have been held in Kenya. Nairobi previously hosted the 2021 World Athletics U20 Championships and has staged several other international athletics competitions.
The selection represents a significant development for athletics in Africa, with Nairobi becoming the latest African city to secure a major World Athletics event at the senior level.
