World Athletics president Sebastian Coe says hosting the 2029 World Championships in Nairobi will create a lasting legacy for Kenya and Africa as a whole.
Last month, Nairobi won the hosting rights over London and Rome, making it the first African city chosen to hold the championships.
Kenya had tried to host the 2025 edition but was not successful. Coe now believes this is the right time to bring the event to Africa and help grow athletics across the continent.
In an interview with BBC Focus on Africa, Coe said the benefits should go beyond new buildings and include building the skills and experience needed to organize future international events.
He explained that developing local expertise will help Kenya run the championships well and prepare to host other major events in the future.
This announcement comes at an important time for Kenyan sports, as the country will also co-host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations with Tanzania and Uganda.
Nairobi’s Kasarani Stadium is being renovated for the Africa Cup of Nations and will later host the 2029 World Athletics Championships.
Coe met with Kenyan President William Ruto on Wednesday and said Kenya still has a lot of work to do before it welcomes the world’s top athletes. He added that every host faces big preparations at this point.
He pointed out that the championships are very important financially, since they bring in over 90% of World Athletics’ revenue. This money supports development programs, competitions, new formats, and member federations.
Coe also talked about the challenges of running a nine-day event with 46 disciplines and about 2,000 athletes. He stressed that careful coordination is needed in every part of the event.
He called on the government, local organizers, the national federation, and World Athletics to work together. Their main goal should be to give athletes the best conditions to perform and to make the event enjoyable for fans.
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