Nairobi to Host 2029 World Athletics Championships as London Misses Out

London has lost its bid to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships to Nairobi, which will mark the first time an African city hosts the global event, according to an announcement made by World Athletics. Munich was simultaneously awarded the 2031 championships, with decisions finalized during a World Athletics council meeting in Budapest. World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said Nairobi presented a compelling and emotional bid that successfully demonstrated the sport’s ongoing global expansion. According to Coe, the council evaluated four outstanding bids for the 2029 and 2031 events, making the selection process difficult for leadership. Taking our championships to Africa for the first time will be historic, Coe said. Nairobi has presented a compelling and an emotional bid.

It was important that the World Athletics Championships should come to Africa when we had the right host, the right bid and the right circumstances. Nairobi has demonstrated emphatically that this is their moment.

Sebastian Coe, World Athletics President

The London Bid and Disappointment

The UK bid was led by Athletic Ventures—a partnership consisting of UK Athletics, London Marathon Events, and the Great Run Company—with the London Stadium proposed as the host venue. The venue previously hosted the 2012 Olympic Games, the annual London Diamond League, and the 2017 World Athletics Championships. Jack Buckner, CEO of UK Athletics and co-founder of Athletic Ventures, expressed deep disappointment over the outcome. Buckner stated that the team believed they had put forward an outstanding proposition capable of taking the sport to new levels. According to reporting by The Guardian, insiders within the London bidding team admitted to feeling gutted by the decision, particularly given that London had been widely considered a frontrunner for the 2029 event. It was noted that protracted discussions with West Ham United regarding stadium access in September 2029, alongside sparse crowds during the opening days of the European championships in Birmingham last month, may have impacted perceptions of the UK bid.

Munich Awarded 2031 Championships

Alongside the Nairobi decision, World Athletics confirmed that Munich will host the 2031 World Athletics Championships, marking the first time the German city will stage the global event. Rome was the other city that competed for the 2029 and 2031 hosting rights but ultimately missed out. According to The Guardian, Munich delivered an extraordinarily strong presentation to the World Athletics evaluation panel, positioning itself as a standout contender for 2031. Coe noted Germany’s strong track record of hosting major track and field events, pointing to the success of the 2009 World Championships in Berlin and the high attendance figures seen during the 2022 European championships in Munich.

Upcoming Schedule

Prior to the events in Nairobi and Munich, the World Athletics Championships are scheduled to take place in Beijing from September 10 to September 19, 2027. Both the 2029 championships in Nairobi and the 2031 championships in Munich will similarly be held in September at the climax of the athletics season.