Kenya’s 2029 World Athletics bid: A win for Africa under scrutiny

Nairobi, Kenya – For more than four decades, the World Athletics Championships have been held across continents but never in Africa. That changes in 2029, when Nairobi becomes the first African city to host the track and field championships, bringing the sport’s flagship global competition to a continent whose athletes have helped shape its history. The World Athletics Championships were established in 1983 in Helsinki, Finland, after decades in which athletics’ biggest global competitions were largely tied to the Olympic Games. The inaugural championships brought together 1,333 athletes from 153 countries, laying the foundation for one of the most important events on the international sporting calendar.